


Warm Hearts in the Cold Winter

by mizxmacmanus



Series: Seasons [2]
Category: Walking Dead, Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Birth Control, F/M, Sexual Content, Smut, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-08
Updated: 2015-04-16
Packaged: 2018-02-03 21:02:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 72,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1756953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mizxmacmanus/pseuds/mizxmacmanus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>*Sequel to Summer Of Change* After Daryl disappeared on their wedding day, Beth published a book about their summer as her own way to move on. Daryl shows back up after her book reached number one angry, hurt, and unsure what will happen when he sees the young blonde again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Memoir of a Georgia Country Girl

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is, the sequel to "Summer of Change". Hope you guys enjoy.

Chapter one

_**That summer was when I truly grew up, becoming a woman not an eighteen year old girl that I was at the beginning of it. I became a different person then I was the winter before. I was taught lessons that I will never forget, I found a love that I never wanted to die, I became the woman who is writing this book to you. A memoir of a country girl from Georgia about the summer that girl became me.** _

_**I couldn't do it without him though. He showed me kindness when I was alone on that road that night. I still smile when I drive down it thinking back to it, like it was just yesterday. I think back and find that I was a little stupid for getting into a car with a stranger, blame it on the beer or the fact I would be walking for hours til I got home, but whatever the reason I was glad I did. He was just a guy at a party who was showing concern to a young girl her first time out, I was glad he decided to go home when he did.** _

_**And it wasn't just kindness he showed me, he awoke something inside, something that had been laid dormant inside me. He was older by many years, but it made him more interesting since he was so young still in so many ways. It was proof enough in itself that age don't really mean anything. He grew as I grew, he learned as I did. He taught me things I never thought I would learn. Hell, I have my own crossbow now and I can track a two day old trail without a problem because of him. God he was so proud of me the first time I took down my own buck. We made love that day out in those woods like it was our last, one of the best times I ever had.** _

_**We were together a year when he proposed, out in the middle of the woods while tracking a wild pig, and I couldn't think of anything more I wanted to do then spend my days with him. It was my own redneck country style fairy tale, and I was the princess in it like I dreamed about as a little girl. After a year of planning the day finally came, and it was suppose to be the best day of my life, the best day of his life... but that never happened. That day never happened, well it did, but not how it was meant to go.** _

_**After two years of nothing but pure love and devotion, he left me there to announce there was not gonna be a wedding alone. My dream became a nightmare real fast, and he didn't give me a reason, he just slipped away with his brother. I guess I had been in shock that the man I was going to pledge to devote my life to "left me at the alter" as the terms go because I couldn't cry. No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't cry.** _

_**Its been a little over two years since that day, four years since that summer. I don't know why he did what he did. He never gave me a reason, nor did he come back. We searched all over for him, but he just didn't want to be found. A tracker knows how to cover his own tracks, he had taught me that. He didn't want me to find him, and I gave up hope that he would come to his senses after a while, telling myself he was gone and he wasn't coming back. I forced myself to not cry after the shock wore off, and I haven't cried since. He wouldn't have wanted me to do that any ways, he hated seeing my tears, hated even more when he was the cause of it. It sounds silly, to not cry because he wouldn't want me to and not because I was okay, but it made sense to me. Maybe it's because I never stopped loving him the way I did that summer.** _

_**I still live in that little cabin of his, of ours. I still work in the small diner in town like I had since I was 19. My silly old Ford is still parked out front, and my horse has her own stable next to the cabin that he and daddy built for me. I even still have pictures of him in my phone, with pictures of us still on the walls of our home, of my home. Guess I still haven't gotten use to it, like a part of me believes he is coming back, and we will pick up where we left off. Another part thinks I'm just holding onto something that isn't there anymore. I like to say I'm being lazy and don't have the time, that I'll do it when I have the chance. Of course I have the time. I have time to write this, don't I? But I'm gonna go back to just say I'm lazy and don't have the time, sounds better than saying I'm not letting go. That I can't let go.** _

_**Maybe this book will be my way of saying goodbye, my own way of getting closure. I gave away so many of our secrets, but I still keep many close to my heart. Ones that no one else needed to know, just me and him. I wanna keep that way. Between me and my hunter, where ever he may be. I won't look back after this, accepting its time to move on. Looking back on my time with him with a sad smile, but happy I got the chance to experience something so special with him. I just hope he's happy, and found what he was looking for even if it wasn't with me.** _


	2. Aunty Beth, and Uncle Daryl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! You wouldn't believe my surprise when I woke up to see all the emails notifying me of all your comments. It motivated me to finish the chapter and put it out before I go to work.

Chapter two

The sound of an infant crying caused twenty-two year old Beth Greene to stir from her slumber. It was almost an automatic thing to get up and hurry to see what the ten month old child needed. He was teething, and had been very uncomfortable by it causing him to not sleep well. Making her way over to the crib she had set up for him, Beth lifted the raven haired boy into her arms, checking his diaper while she tried to sooth him. His diaper was clean, and from the look of his fingers in his mouth she had been right that it was his gums were what was hurting. 

"It's okay sweet boy. Aunty Bethy is here." Beth whispered sleepily to the child, as she made her way into the main cabin area to the fridge. Pulling a teething ring out of the freezer she pushed it gently into his mouth, and he started to gnaw on it, giving him slight relief from the soreness. Fighting back a yawn, Beth moved toward the couch knowing that the baby would want to play some before he decided he wanted to go back sleep. The child only stared at the blonde with amazement as he chewed on the ice cold ring. 

It had been her sister's anniversary with her husband, and Beth had insisted to take her nephew for a weekend to give them a break to celebrate. Sammy Rhee, looked a lot like Glenn but with Maggie's nose and Hershel's eyes. It had surprised everyone the day he was born to discover his eyes were as blue as his grandfather's and aunt's. And to say he wasn't a handful would have been a lie, he was very independent and stubborn a lot like his mother. He couldn't sit still for longer then a couple of minutes before he would try to crawl off until he started to walk. Sammy was very hard to keep up with, but Beth loved him with all her heart spoiling him whenever she got the chance. 

Almost on queue, the child started to squirm to get onto the ground and Beth was too tired to fight to keep him on her lap. Leaning over, she flicked on the lamp by the couch to brighten up the room so she and Sammy could both see. With still unsteady legs, he started to wander around while he continued to chew on the frozen ring, making noises as he moved. Beth leaned back watching him carefully as he found one of his toys. Fighting another yawn, Beth tilted her head to the side checking to see what time it was from the clock she had hung up on the wall over the front door. It was four in the morning causing Beth to groan. It was too early for him to be awake.

Flicking her attention back towards Sammy, who was now trying to place whatever he could get his hands onto the coffee table, she caught sight of the soft blue paperback book next to his growing pile. It was a copy of her book she had written and published. It had came out a month earlier, and it had became a New York Best Seller within the first week of release. Frowning Beth leaned forward to pick up the book, its glossy cover staring back at her. She remembered promising herself that she was going to move on, even going as far as replacing many of the pictures on her walls with ones of Sammy and her family. There were still pictures on her phone, ones she wasn't ready to give up just yet. 

"Vavavavava" Sammy squealed happily, causing Beth to tear her gaze away from the book back to the happy child after he successfully managed to put her black cat onto the coffee table from her place on one of the dinner chairs. The cat sat there confused for a moment, before jumping off the table and brushed herself against the infant causing him to fall over. This earned another squeal of giggles before a yawn made its way from his mouth. 

"I knew you couldn've had all that energy." Beth giggled as she got up to get the infant. Picking him up, she grabbed the teething ring he had left forgotten on the ground beside coffee table. Sammy instantly wrapped his arms around his aunt's neck and dropped his head to her shoulder, causing the young woman to smile. "You wanna sleep with me? I haven' cuddled with someone in a few years. Lets cuddle baby boy."

The boy didn't make a noise as he nestled into her. Tossing the ring back into the freezer, Beth checked the time once more and let out a small laugh. He had only been awake an hour before growing tired once more, he didn't have much energy to begin with when he slipped off her lap and used up what little he had quickly. Carrying him into the bedroom Beth grabbed his stuffed kangaroo making their way to the bed. Slipping under the covers, she laid the little boy next to her. He curled into her before she was able to get herself comfortable, much like he would have done with his parents back home in Atlanta. Wrapping an arm around him Beth slipped back to sleep once she was sure she heard his soft snores. Neither woke back up until nearly noon.

***

"Uncle Daryl. Uncle Daryl wake up." Daryl reluctantly jerked awake, a pain shooting through his skull indicating he had yet another hangover. He groaned in annoyance, turning away from where the voice was coming from. "Uncle Daryl, you need to take me to work."

He hated it when she would call him that. He wasn't her uncle, Merle had been off and on with her mother for nearly three years before finally completely falling off the wagon and disappearing once more. Leaving Daryl, who had been living with them for two years, to try and help out. Merle's old lady, Carol Peletier, was a single mother of a fourteen year old when her and his brother met. She had been in an abusive marriage for fourteen years until her husband passed away when her daughter was twelve. Which always caused Daryl to wonder why she had ever given Merle a chance. 

Carol and him had became close pretty quick upon his arrival to her home with his brother two years prior. She didn't ask questions on where he had came from or what had caused him to come live with them. It wasn't her business she had told him the first day he was in her kitchen, before telling him to sit down to eat. She wasn't like Annette, nor did she cook like the older Greene woman, but she had her own motherly nature toward the older man, despite her only been about 5 years older then he was. 

"Uncle Daryl!" The young voice finally screamed, and Daryl turned over to give the person bothering him a look. Sophia Peletier knew that calling him 'Uncle' bothered him, but she didn't care. He was the closest to a father figure she had ever had, even if he never was with her mother. 

"Stop callin' me that!" Daryl growled as he finally sat up, still in the clothes from the night before with a horrible pain in his head. He looked up toward the now eighteen year old, who was in a silly looking waitress uniform, standing looking at him a glass of water in her hand for him. Looking around he found he wasn't in his bed but on the couch, and groaned. He hated when he did that. "Why can' you drive yourself?"

"God, how much did you have to drink last night, Uncle Daryl? You smell like shit." Sophia giggled as she handed him the water. She shared a smile just like her mother as she tucked a hair back behind her ear. "You told me yesterday you'd give me a ride cause my cars doing that clicking noise again."

"Firstly, shut up." Daryl rolled his eyes at her little smart mouth comment downing the glass of water in one gulp. He did remember he had promised her that. "What time you need to be there?"

"Mom said to give you at least an thirty minute notice before we have to leave, so you can actually remember how to function." Sophia continued to laugh, and Daryl just shot her another glare. This girl teased him as much as her mother did. 

"Then why you already dressed?" Daryl asked getting up and pushing past the girl. She followed him into the kitchen where Carol was sitting at the table engrossed into a soft blue covered paper back. Looking up at him expectantly, she pushed a full mug of coffee across the table toward him. 

"Just thought I'd get ready early!" Sophia's voice squeaked as she hurried out of the room to her own bedroom. Daryl stared after her, not wanting to figure out the girl's behavior before dropping into the chair in front of him, taking a drink of his coffee. It was nothing like how Beth use to make it, not that Carol made horrible coffee. He just preferred the perfectly made cup that the young blonde use to make him.

"Probably got all ready to send pictures to that Grimes boy over in Kings county." Carol spoke a little disapprovingly. Sophia had started seeing a boy named Carl that summer, and had been getting in trouble with him ever since. "Hard to believe his daddy's a sheriff from how wild that boy is."

"Boy was there when his mom died." Daryl grunted, he remembered talking to the boy when he first started to pick Sophia up. He found the kid sure had an attitude on him, but other than that he wasn't that bad of a kid, just with a sad past. He had grown up with guys way worse. "Could make any kid go out of control. He's a good kid once it's all said and done. Treats her right from what I see."

"Yea, I still don't like it. She's my little girl." Carol had looked back down to her book. Even though Carol had grown stronger and independent since her husband died, she still feared that Sophia would wind up in the same situation one day. Daryl was able to see why Merle was so taken by her before he left once again, she had a strength that even Merle didn't even try to break. Daryl thought back to Merle with a pain in his chest and almost matching the pain in his head. Carol's voice broke his train of thought before he could think further about his brother. "You smell and look like you had fun last night."

"Shut up." Daryl smirked as Carol looked up for a moment from her book to share a small smile. Leaning back into the chair, he sighed pushing his hair out from his eyes. His hair was almost to his shoulders now and he desperately needed a haircut. "What's that book your readin'?"

"Its Sophia's. She wanted me to read it." Carol shrugged, her eyes back to the words on the pages. "I just started it."

"Just picked up a book and start reading and don't know what its about?" Daryl laughed and Carol gave him a look. 

"You didn't ask me what it was about. And I didn't just pick it up, Sophia handed it to me. Also reading books unknowing what it was about before sometimes are the best kind of read, Pookie. Adds mystery and surprise." Carol smirked at her little nickname for him. She did it mostly to tease him, to watch him squirm when the nickname left her lips. Daryl found he was always rolling his eyes playfully at the older woman in front of him. The only best friend he ever had was Merle all his life, saying he was all Daryl ever needed, but he was able to say after this woman was his best friend. She could've kicked him out when she kicked Merle out after he started using again, but she didn't. She didn't think he should have been punished for Merle's stupid decisions, and had been doing well helping out with Sophia. 

As far as she knew he was homeless, Merle had created a little lie so he didn't have to explain to a complete stranger that he had left his beautiful young bride on their wedding day. Luckily she never asked any questions, not caring enough to know. Looking out the side window of the kitchen, Daryl began to wonder what his abandoned bride was doing, guilt filling him as the two sat in silence. 

"This person does sounds like you." Carol said suddenly and he looked at her confused. She had this tone to her voice as if she had figured something out and wanted to put whatever theory in her mind to the test. She looked up at him with a small smile on her face. Daryl began to wonder what exactly that book was about. 

"Uncle Daryl lets go!" Sophia called out, unknowingly giving her mother a way out to tease him more about it later. 

"Give me a minute!" Daryl yelled out, as he got up and hurried into the bathroom, forgetting he needed to pee since he woke up. Soon he was sliding into his old Ford with Sophia on the passenger side, speeding toward the ice cream shop that Sophia was currently working at. They drove in silence since Sophia was all into her cell phone texting her boyfriend, Daryl's thoughts somewhere else his thumb chewing on his thumb.

The winter sun was bright in the sky, causing Daryl to pull down his visor to shield his tired blue eyes from the painful rays. He didn't notice the picture falling out onto the seat between them, but Sophia did from the corner of her eye. The picture was faced down, and curiosity got to the eighteen year old girl as she picked up the three by five size photo. It was of a beautiful young blonde woman holding a small black kitten, a huge smile on her face. She wasn't much older than Sophia in this picture, nineteen possibly twenty at the oldest. The woman looked familiar as she studied the photo before her eyes widened. She recognized the woman, looking at Daryl in shock realizing who he was as well. 

"Who's she?" Sophia had to ask, wanting to make sure she wasn't mistaking the woman in the photo for someone else. Daryl looked sideways toward the girl and saw she had his picture in her hands. 

"Give me that." Daryl said quickly, not meaning to sound as mean as it did. Grabbing the picture from the girl, he placed it back up in the visor and flipped it up. He remembered the day that photo was taken it was her twentieth birthday, less than four months before they were to be married. He had found the kitten huddled in a bush by a butcher shop a town over, and had brought it back home with him to surprise Beth. More guilt was stirring in him as he fought to stay calm, not wanting to Sophia to sense his discomfort. "She's just someone I use to know."

"I know her." Sophia spoke, and Daryl looked at her confused just how he had her mother in the kitchen. "She wrote that book Mom's reading. I knew that guy sounded like you, but I thought it was a coincidence."

"What the fuck are you goin' about, Sophia?" Daryl needed to her to explain further to him about what she meant, as he pulled into the small parking lot to let her out. 

"That book _'Summer of Change'_ mom's reading. That girl in the picture is G. Dixy, the girl who wrote it. About you." Sophia stared at him in amazement as he continued to look at her as if he still didn't understand what she had meant. "She wrote about you leavin' her at the alter."

Daryl felt his chest tighten uncomfortably as his look of confusion changed to a hard unreadable look. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, this had to of been some sick joke. He was able to tell Sophia was growing uncomfortable being unable to read his face, but he couldn't care less at that moment. He kept asking himself that if it was true, and if it was how could she have done such a thing.

"Do I need to pick you up after you get off?" Daryl asked, wanting Sophia out of the truck to leave him to his thoughts. 

"Carl and I have plans after." Sophia said softly realizing she made a mistake of saying anything to him about the book from his reaction. "I'll be home later."

She only received a grunt in response as he started digging through his pockets for his smokes. He hadn't had one that morning, and after hearing what he just did, he was desperate for one. Sophia slipped out of the truck, giving an apologetic look toward the older man she grew to consider a father of a sort before shutting the door. Daryl lit his smoke before speeding off out onto the road heading straight back to the Peletier home.

There was an inner battle raging in him. He didn't want to believe that she would do something like that, no matter how fucked up he was to leave her that day without so much as a goodbye or a reason. Daryl needed to know what she had said in this book, how many of his secrets she exposed, ones she promised to never to give away. He must have smoked at least four cigarettes before finally pulling into the drive. Sophia's old Honda was parked beside his Ford's usual place, waiting to be worked on as he had promised. But there was other things on his mind. 

"Give me that book!" Daryl growled as he stormed into the living room area, where Carol had moved with a large mug of tea. He pulled the books from her hands and flipped to the back page, and his heart did flips, it _was_ her. She looked older then he had remembered her, then in the picture he always kept in his truck, holding the very crossbow him and Maggie had thrown money together for. Her smiling face stared up at Daryl as his jaw laid open, tears starting to appear. 

"Daryl?" Carol asked softly, as she watched him break from his trance and flip to a random page in the book. 

" _When he gets nervous his thumb always finds its way to his mouth to chew on, chewing them raw sometimes. It was a habit no one stopped him from creating as a child, but it was cute when he did it. Made him look years younger than he was, it always brought a smile to my face. He nearly made his thumbs bleed the day we had a small scare, waiting for the test to give us a sense of relief. I fell in love with him more, when his face read relief, but I could see a sense of disappointment that I was sure he didn't think I saw..._ " Daryl read out loud mostly to himself. He remembered that day so well, it was a week before he had proposed to her. It was one of the most stressful days of his life, worrying about what would have happened had it been positive. 

Beth was only a year into school, and had barely started her job at the diner. He had barely started a job of his own in construction in a town over to help pay off the small engagement ring he had bought her a month earlier. They had alot on their plate and a child would be too much for them at the time, though a part of him went back to thoughts of her heavy with one of their own. It was still a relief when she had came out of the bathroom, holding a negative test. He flipped through the other pages, reading different pieces. 

She had wrote about the night they first made love, the day he took her hunting for the first time, and the day he had proposed. She wrote about every fight, every game they would play, the sweet things he would say along with hurtful ones. And she wrote about the wedding, the day he took off with Merle. She wrote them almost exactly how it happened, in her own point of view, and there was no denying it wasn't Beth. Looking at the cover he read the name _'G. Dixy'_ , he figured out quickly it was short for Greene Dixon. Dropping the book, Daryl looked at Carol who was watching him with a worried expression on her face. 

"That book is about you isn't it?" Carol asked slowly sitting at the edge of couch ready to get up to comfort the man, as Daryl backed toward the front door. He was shaking, he couldn't breath, his mind racing with thoughts of the blonde woman. When Sophia handed her the book, insisting for her to read it since the man sounded exactly like Daryl, Carol didn't take her seriously until she started the book. Daryl's gaze went back to the book on the floor. "Daryl?"

"I gotta go." Daryl snapped as he took off out of the house, Carol getting up to follow him. She stood at the doorway as he revved up his old truck shooting back out onto the road. Crossing her arms, she watched him as he sped down the road, knowing where he was going. Hoping he would do the right thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. And yes I am a Marol shipper of a sort. ;) 
> 
> Chapter four of Keeping Alive will be out hopefully tonight after I get off work, and keep an eye out for chapter three of Warm Hearts. 
> 
>  
> 
> http://mizxmacmanus.tumblr.com/


	3. Emotions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long, I had been really busy this past week, but chapter four will be out sooner. 
> 
> hope you lovelies enjoy

Chapter three

"Come on, it's just dinner." Beth sighed, her eyes staying on Sammy who was now trying to follow Kitten around to play with her. The small black cat kept stopping and letting out small meows turning around every so often to brush lovingly against the child, knocking him over every time in the process. Earing loud squeals and laughter coming from the little boy.

"Zach, I have my nephew this weekend. I also have a term paper due for my English class this upcoming week that I haven't even started. I can'." Beth rolled her eyes, as the child made his way over to her. She smiled and pulled him up onto the couch with her. He crawled into her lap and snuggled into her, his little hand grabbing at her braid. It was close to time to put him down for a nap by the way his eyes started to drop. 

"It's just Dinner, Beth. Don't have to be tonight." Zach only chuckled, he was persistent from the moment he laid eyes on her at the beginning of the semester. He was a T. A. for one of her creative writing elective classes, and was in pursuit of her the moment she sat down in her seat. He was cute to say the least, and Beth hadn't received attention like that since Daryl, enjoying it a little more than she should since she had no intention of dating him. "I mean it don't have to be a date, you know. It could just be two friends having a nice meal together, and seeing where it goes from there. Lets just say its a treat for being a best selling author. You never know you might wind up liking me."

"I got to go put the baby down for a nap so I can try and get some homework done. I'll see you in class." Beth stood holding the tired boy lovingly in her arms, carrying him to his play pen, kissing his forehead in the process. 

"I'm not hearing a no."

"But you ain't hearing a yes either. Goodbye Zach." Beth hung up the phone before he could reply. Tossing the phone onto the couch, she got turned to focus on getting Sammy comfortable, placing his bottle of juice beside him. Grabbing the bottle, Sammy started to drink from it as he slowly fell asleep. Beth giggled as she watched the little boy for a few moments. This was the first nap he had since being there that she didn't have to sing him to sleep, she just let him play until he was tired. 

Making her way over to the kitchen, Beth pulled out a pitcher of tea to pour herself a glass. She barely sat the glass on the counter when she heard the sounds of a truck being pulled up. Beth wasn't expecting Maggie back until that night to pick up Sammy, and neither her or Glenn owned a truck. A brief thought popped into her head, causing her to go onto auto pilot. Hurrying to the door, she pulled it open and ran onto the porch, stopping dead in her tracks. Her eyes wide. Daryl was jumping out of his truck.

"You wrote a fuckin' book?!" He yelled as he slammed the door shut, not making a move toward the shocked woman. He looked older, his clothes were wrinkled and looked slept in, his hair was longer with a few strands of gray showing through, but he was still the same man Beth knew. "How the fuck could you fuckin do that?! Who the fuck gives you the god damn right to fuckin' go write a damned book about us, Beth? Ever thought of how I would fuckin' feel?"

Beth watched him as he continued to yell at her, patiently allowing him this moment. She knew he would be angry once he caught word of the book, showing up like she guessed he would, she just didn't think it would have been so soon after. Daryl needed to say his piece, before he heard hers. Her blue eyes moved with him as he moved closer toward her, his face crunched up some when he was angry, how he liked to throw his arms up or wherever he could. He was still beautiful to her. 

"I trusted you with things, and you go an put it on paper for the whole world to see? Airin' all our dirty fuckin' laundry! What the fuck is wrong with you gir--" Daryl was cut off by Beth running to him, yanking him into a hard kiss. Daryl stood shock for a moment before he settle into the kiss. She pulled away almost immediately though, and Daryl's cheek suddenly stung as her fist collided with his face. 

"Who in the fuck do you think you are?" Beth screamed out, pushing him back farther from the house. She had almost forgotten that Sammy was sleeping and she didn't want to wake him and scare him. Daryl stood dumbfounded, unable to react. Her eyes flashed a dark blue, anger radiating from her beating at Daryl like a bat. "You were the one who left remember?! You were the one who disappeared without a trace! But I am the bad guy cause I wrote a book? You selfish piece of shit, showing up all mad like you have every fuckin' bullshit right. You don't, Daryl Dixon, you lost that right the moment you took off with that piece of shit brother of yours. Be happy I didn' put your damn name in it. Completely outing you to the fuckin' world."

Daryl stared at her as she continued to push him harder. She was stronger than she was two years earlier, being able to push his solid for back without much effort. He noticed her hair was longer for once folded neatly into a braid, not in the loose braids that all her hair would fall out of as she moved. Her body was leaner, muscles flexing in her arms. He almost forgot why he was angry being so taken by how even more gorgeous she was. His cheek stung as he stared at her, and she returning it with a harsh glare. 

"You aren' welcome here unless you came with a damn good reason why you did what you did! Why you chose to leave on what should have been our day. Of all the days you could have left, you chose our wedding day." He had never heard her growl before continuing to push him harder, Daryl just let it happen. He realized then that she needed this too, to show him how hurt and angry she was. "If you didn' wanna marry me then why didn' you just say something? Why propose to me if you were just gonna do this to me?"

"You wouldn' understand!" Daryl spoke in a quiet voice, which only seemed to make the young woman even more angry, she forced out a laugh. 

"Wouldn' understand." Her laugh was cold, almost spiteful. Daryl didn't recognize the woman before him, never seeing her so angry. "How about you fuckin' try me? Or are we all back to treat me like a little fuckin' girl? Thinkin' I can' handle what pathetic excuse you have concocted in your damn head. Well, go ahead and try me. Humor me a little."

Daryl couldn't look at her anymore turning away, his face unreadable as she stood there with her arms now crossed over her chest. He wasn't sure what he was expecting showing up all pissed off and impulsive. Or what he was expecting her to be like toward him, or that he was still feeling the same way as he had before he left. He tried desperately to try and find the words, to give her the reason, but it couldn't come out. Beth only scoffed. 

"You know what. I don' even know why I even asked. Of course you're gonna not tell me. Typical Daryl." Beth shook her head making her way toward the cabin, not wanting him there any longer since she knew he wouldn't give her an answer. "Just leave. Go back to where ever you and Merle crawled to."

"This is my fuckin' cabin!" Daryl yelled back, finally finding his voice, and she turned to look at him. It was stupid of him say, he didn't want her to walk away. Her eyes flashing. "You can' tell me to leave."

"I think I can tell you to do whatever the hell I want, Dixon." Beth snapped, as she heard an infant scream from inside the cabin. Daryl's eyes widened as Beth turned to look into the cabin, grimacing some. Beth sighed, shaking her head. "You disappear for over two years, and now what? You think you have a right to come in and start demanding the cabin back, and answers from _me_ , but where are the fuck my answers, Daryl Dixon?"

The infant crying was getting louder to Daryl, it was almost drowning her out. He desperately tried to remember if he read anything in those quick scanning that she mentioned a child. Did he misread or missed something? He tried his best to do the math, wondering if there was a chance it was his or if she had.. he didn't want to think about it. Maybe it wasn't even hers at all, maybe it was Maggie's. Choosing to not think to far into it, he once more wasn't able to answer her, all he was able to do was watch her make her way to the open door. 

"Of course, more silence." Beth stopped in the doorway to look at him still standing there watching her. "I don' know what possessed you to come back here, or what the hell you expected to get out of this, Dixon, but I ain't gonna be playing this game. Goodbye Daryl." 

Beth shut the door quickly, and latched the locks top locks. Sammy was standing in his crib, screaming with tears streaming down his chubby cheeks. Not giving herself a chance to process what had just happened, Beth was pulling the little boy into her arms trying to sooth his tears. Whispering soft things to him, there was a loud pounding at the door causing Sammy to scream and cry louder. 

"Open up Beth!" Daryl yelled through the door as he continued to pound onto the wood. Beth twisted toward the door, holding the baby close to her, almost scared. The pounding noise soon died down, and Daryl voice spoke softer through the door. "Beth, I ain't gonna do anything. Jus' open up, please. We ain' done talkin' yet."

"Please leave Daryl." Beth called out, her voice cracking as she held the little boy close. She closed her eyes, sliding herself down onto the couch. Sammy has started to quiet down sensing his aunt distress, clinging to her tighter. "If you want me to leave, then at least let me pack in peace. Just please, I don' wanna see you."

There was silence on the other side of the door, Beth held her breath feeling waves of emotion pour through her. Emotions she hadn't felt in a long time, now they were beating at her, trying to break her. Bouncing the infant boy in her arms, the rumble of an engine met her ears. Standing slowly, Beth made her way toward one of the windows near the door. Looking through the thin curtains, she watched the back end of Daryl's truck speed down the dirt roadway. 

Beth felt her knees give way beneath her as she slid down onto the ground, Sammy still in her arms. Her mind was racing, wishing that what had just happened was all just a bad dream. She didn't know what had came over her when she rushed into his arms, feeling his lips against hers once more. It was what she had been wanting for the past few years, and it felt the way she had hoped. But her anger for him took over, what happened to his cheek was evidence on what else she had been wanting to do for the past few years.

She couldn't stop it this time, not like all the other times she choked it back, tears finally falling. Her heart hurt as she held onto Sammy tightly, crying after over two years of keeping her eyes dry. Seeing Daryl again brought everything she was moving on from back, the emotion, the hurt, the need for him. Beth had tried to convince herself that she was stronger, over all pain. Sammy's small hand lightly touched her face, letting out soft comforting noises. Beth slowly opened her tear filled eyes to meet the eyes of the little boy in her arms, his eyes filled with curiosity. 

"I'm okay sweetie. We gotta call your mama though. Aunty needs her sister." She managed out, as bit back the tears for that moment, picking herself up from the ground. 

***

"Hey, lemme get a whiskey." Daryl growled as he slid into the seat at the bar, stopping at Hatlin's since he wasn't sure where else to go. The bartender was quick to make his drink, as he mulled over what had happened. It was a dick move of him to pound at her door the way he had, scaring the small child that was inside on top of Beth. There were so many emotions running through him that it made him near dizzy and sick feeling. 

His anger caused him to be impulsive, to rush back after staying away for so long. He had been so angry that he ignored the need to yank her to him, to feel her again. Then she was on him, her lips crashing against his, her body against his once more. She never gave him a chance to lose himself in her like she would once let him do, instead punching him in the face. Daryl's cheek still stung from how hard she had punched, he underestimated her he admitted, touching the bruised area with his fingers. 

The bartender sat the drink in front of him when Daryl felt dry blood on his cheek. Looking up, there was a mirror in front of him so he was able to see his reflection staring back at him. His sharp eyes widened as he looked down at the dry flaked of blood on his fingers. Grabbing his drink, he took a generous gulp. All the anger and resentment left him, leaving him filled with guilt, hurt, and something else. Seeing her again after so long, still feeling the same need he had for her when he was with her, Daryl decided to himself that he had been stupid for long enough. For staying away from her for so long, and letting him live in his guilt while she was there hurt. He had been living in hell since he abandoned his angel, the one good thing in his meaningless life, the one thing that mattered to him. 

He wanted Beth Greene back, he was determined to do so. No matter how hard she fought him, she was gonna be his again. The small cut on his cheek and the memory of seeing her still wearing her engagement ring was proof and motivation enough for him.


	4. Hiatus

As of today, Warm Hearts is on Hiatus. There were quite a few comments and reactions that made me feel like this story was a mistake to even write, so until further notice, Warm hearts will not be updated. 

Keeping alive will be continued to update, but I don't even know how much I'm willing to update that anymore. I have NO one to throw ideas around with, I have no one to talk about the show with, I have no one to talk about the comics with. I don't even have anyone in my personal life to talk about this stuff. So can one blame me for not wanting to continue on with my writings when I really want someone to talk to and get excited over this stuff and there is NO ONE? 

I thank everyone who read this story and loved it, but I'm sorry Warm Hearts is on Hiatus until further notice, possibly will be discontinued all together, I haven't decided. Keeping Alive will hopefully be updated in a few days.


	5. Chapter Four: if i were a carpenter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. LOVE. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. OF. YOU!!!!!!!!!! Your support, and friendships have given me the inspiration and the motivation to continue Warm Hearts. So this chapter is dedicated to you all. idk what I would do without your support.   
> You guys helped me remember to say 'Fuck the haters'. Which lead me to write this chapter, and to keep going. Bethyl Week has also been helping me, and I hope you all will be checking out my submissions for the fun event. 
> 
> Now lets get to this.

_Daryl was able to hear the music blast from outside the closed cabin while he parked his truck after a long day at work. It was clear it was an old 60s band, Jefferson Airplane, a band he showed her. A smirk met his lips knowing who exactly was playing the music, and began to wonder how he was going to find her after coming into the door. Slipping from the truck Daryl was able to hear the words clearly through the walls of the small cabin, the woman's melodic voice carrying to him. It was 'Somebody to Love', one of his personal favorites from them._

_Opening the door, Daryl slipped in to find his young fiance swaying to the music, singing along with the singer. She hadn't noticed him yet, since her back was turned to the door, lost in her own world. Leaning against the door way, Daryl smirked watching her hips move in perfect sync with the rhythm of the music._

_"Don't want somebody to love? Don't you need someone to love?" Beth belted out with Grace Slick, her loose blonde hair going every which way as she moved her head. Turning Beth finally noticed him there causing her to stop dead, her hair covering her face. Daryl could only chuckle as the song ended. "How long have you been standing there?"_

_"Long enough to get a nice show." Daryl chuckled as Beth moved to turn down the stereo. It wasn't a moment later that Beth rushed to him jumping into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist. Taking her lips with his, Daryl kissed the young blonde softly._

_"Missed you this morning. Was hoping to get a little something in before you left." Beth winked as the man carried her to the couch. Flopping onto the couch with her still in his arms, Beth situated herself to straddle him._

_"Is that right?" Daryl chuckled shaking his head as the young woman slipped off him and headed toward the kitchen. It was then Daryl got a good look at what she was wearing that day. A pair of cut off shorts that left little to the imagination, the kind he wouldn't allow her to leave the house in, with a light blue bikini top covering her perfect breast from his view. She looked like she was ready to make a trip to the beach, or to Woodstock. 'The Weight' started to play low on the stereo as he watched the young woman._

_"Would I make up something like that?" Beth asked as she pulled out two beers she had stored in the freezer to get ice cold for him. Grabbing a spare lighter that was left on the kitchen counter, the blonde popped open the beer bottles with no trouble. Flopping back onto his lap, Beth handed him the beer before taking a swig of her own. "How was work today?"_

_"Tiring." Daryl grunted, realizing how tired he actually was in that moment. He was the oldest guy out on that site that day, if you hadn't counted the site manager, and he picked up all the slack of the younger guys leaving the hunter exhausted. "Never met so many lazy guys in my life. Had to put in double the effort to keep from gettin' yelled at."_

_"They should do something about those guys, Daryl. This seems to be happening way to often." Beth looked at her fiance with concern, as she put the bottle to her lips once more. The small engagement ring resting perfectly on her small finger, reminding them of the next step they were going to make._

_"Won' do no damn difference. They'll jus' keep doing it." Daryl shrugged as he took a generous gulp of his beer. His other hand was rubbing the back of her thigh to her bottom. "And I'll have the satisfaction on sayin' I worked for my money. And that I am able to give you the world, and taking good care of you."_

_Beth couldn't help but smile as she kissed him once more, before squealing as he grabbed her ass. Daryl let out a low growl as he captured her lips into a more passionate kiss._

_"I love you, Beth Greene." Daryl growled into the kiss, Beth's free hand gripped into his hair._

_"And I love you, Daryl Dixon." Beth bit at his bottom lip. "Now lets make up for what we didn' get to do this mornin'."_

"Your total is 17.84." The young girls voice broke the hunter from his thoughts as he pulled out a crumbled twenty from his pocket. He should have just asked Sophia to read her copy of Beth's book, but he found himself in the small bookstore that was about to close in town buying his own copy of the book about him. 

After receiving his change Daryl hurried out onto the pavement, a smoke already being lit the moment the door had shut. The bag that contained the light blue paperback clutching tight in his hand as he drew his jacket in closer when a cold wind whipped past him. Jumping into the truck, Daryl took a deep drag of his smoke starting the truck. 'If I were a Carpenter' by Tim Hardin started to play on the radio and played softly in the background as he pulled out of the drive taking off back toward Cordele, back to the Peletier home. 

He wasn't going to stay there though, just grab a few things and to drop his truck off for Sophia since he wouldn't be back to work on her car for a while. He was going to use Merle's old motorcycle he kept in the garage of the home. The drive was rough since the book in the bag that rested next to him in the seat haunted him. The words about how he would chew on his thumb haunted him, and he tried to keep himself from chewing on his thumb, not allowing a gap between smokes to give him the chance. 

Pulling into his familiar place in the driveway of the Peletier home, his home for two year, Daryl killed the engine and pulled the photo of Beth from the visor, slipping the photo into his jacket pocket. Getting out of the truck Daryl made his way up to the front door. He was met by Carol who was reading on the very couch he woke up on that morning, still reading under the soft glow of the table side lamp.

"Hey, how did it go?" Carol asked her voice filled with concern as she sat the book down to look at him after hearing the door shut. After Daryl had stormed off that morning Carol kept reading, learning about this girl and his relationship with her. "Oh my god what happened to your face?"

"She punched me." Daryl grunted as the older woman got off the couch and hurried to him to inspect the bruise on his cheek that had formed around the small cut. 

"So, it went well I take it." Daryl couldn't stop himself from laughing at the older woman's dry humor. Deciding it was nothing too terrible, Carol backed away crossing her arms over her chest. "You think maybe you might have deserved that punch?"

"I dese'ved somethin', but I didn' need to have the same damn ring I bought for her to cut me." Daryl shrugged as he started toward his room. "I'm only here to drop the Ford off and pick up Merle's bike. Figured Sophia needs something to get her places, I'm headin' back."

"You think that's a good idea, Daryl?" Carol asked following him to his room. Leaning against the doorway, she watched her best friend start to grab random articles of clothing stuffing them into a small bag since he couldn't carry much else on the bike.

"She's still wearing the ring I gave her." Daryl pulled his mattress up and grabbed the small stack of cash he stored away incase of emergencies or to bail Merle out of jail in case he had called. "And I made a mistake, now its up to me to fix this."

"What if she doesn' want it fixed?" Carol still wore her wedding ring even though her husband, Ed, made her life hell until he was passed away from a heart attack, but even when she still wore it, Carol would never think about taking her ex back if he was still alive. 

"She will." Daryl muttered as he pulled an envelope from the same place where he grabbed the money. Looking at the thick folded paper, he tapped it against his fingers. "She still feels the same I know she does. I know her better than everyone thinks, even after all this time."

"Where are you goin' to stay? You can' possibly think about staying in the same cabin with her?" Carol watched as Daryl started out of the room before stopping. The older woman watched him as he made his way to his closet, and pulled out the angel wing vest that he wore the first night he came to the home. She hadn't seen him wear it since as he shrugged it onto his shoulder over his jacket. 

"I saw they added a small hotel about a thirty minute drive from town. Gonna get a room there til I fix everything." Daryl spoke as he moved past her toward the front door.

"Wait." Carol called after him, hurrying to the book case in the living room and pulled out a bible. She opened it and grabbed a stack of cash that she too hid away, it was something both did when Merle started to use again. Hiding away money. She made her way back over toward Daryl, holding out the cash. "Figure you're gonna need this if you're gonna be stayin' in some hotel."

"I can' accept that, Carol." Daryl shook his head and Carol force the small stack of hundreds in his hand. "You might need it."

"Hey, stop. You have done so much for me and Sophia in these last two years then Ed ever did his whole life. You were the one who taught her to drive, took her to school when you didn' have to. You gave her guidance that she needed. Consider this my thank you for it all." Carol cupped the man's face, giving him a warm motherly smile which Daryl returned with a soft smile of his own. "We'll be fine. Jus' call to let us know how it's goin', and remember. If it doesn' work out you know this is your home, no matter what. We're your family. And I expect to see you home around Thanksgiving, I'm gonna need your expert cooking skills to help with that turkey."

"Thank, Carol. For everything." Daryl leaned into her hands like a child would. He loved the older woman and her daughter dearly, they had become his family in those years and would always find away to take care of the two. He pulled out his keys, and took the key to Merle's bike off it before placing the keys into Carol's palm when he pulled away. "I'll call you when I check in."

"And call Sophia too. She called worried earlier about you. Let her know everything is okay." Carol called out as Daryl pulled out the '76 bike from the garage. He looked over to the woman and nodded to her slipping onto the bike. Daryl had just tuned the bike up recently so the bike practically purred as it roared to life. 

Speeding off into the night, Carol once more watched him from the doorway, the same worry never leaving her.

***

"I am gonna kill that mother fucker." Maggie growled as she downed the rest of the wine that was in her glass before pouring herself some more. 

"Hey hey, Mags you might wanna slow down on the wine." Glenn tried to reason as he bounced his little boy in his lap. When Beth had called them about Daryl showing up, the couple decided they both would rush to their younger sister's side. 

"I am, Glenn." Maggie waved him off as she looked over to her sister who was leaning against he arm rest on her couch holding a glass of wine that she had started with. Maggie was beyond furious when she showed up, and had instantly poured two glasses of wine for the sisters. Glenn, who had learned his lesson about drinking wine when he was younger, didn't drink and watched Sammy as the girls talked, giving his input every so often. "What were you thinkin' rushin' out there? And with Sammy here? I could absolutely murder the bastard!"

"I wasn't thinking." Beth said weakly sighing, her eyes were down casted. "It was like I was on autopilot, where my gut told me to go out there. My body had a mind of its own, and when I saw him... Maggie... I couldn' react at first."

"He left you without a damn word or a reason. And you just rush out there like a love sick school girl? What were you expectin' when you got out there?" 

"Honestly I don' know what I was thinkin'! I just knew that I wasn' just hearin' shit, I wasn' wrong this time. It felt like a dream almost." Beth couldn't put what was going through her head into words to help her sister understand. "He stood there yelling at me, and I just stood there staring. I almost didn' think he was real, just another dream. Then I kissed him."

"You kissed him?!" Maggie sounded like she wanted to yell at her and the small smile Beth wore on her face only infuriated her sister more. "Beth are you serious?"

"Yea," Beth played with her wine glass, before taking a drink. "Right before I punched him."

"You punched him? Where? In the balls where he deserves?" Sammy had managed to get free from his father and now was trying to get his mother to hold him. Almost instantly Maggie sat the half empty glass down, and pulled the little boy into lap. "I'd've kicked him personally, maybe stabbed him, but punching is good."

"Shut up you nerd. I punched him in the face." Beth rolled her eyes as Maggie turned her full attention toward the younger blonde, her anger turned into interest. This also sparked Glenn's interest as well, who had abandoned a game he started playing on his phone to listen. 

"Really now? What happened after that?"

"I bitched him out," Beth shrugged as she thought back to the look on his face after she punched him. He looked at her like she had grown a third arm, as if he accepted defeat at that moment. "Asked him why he left, and he wouldn' say. I was mean, Maggie. I said things I knew would hurt him. I took stabs at his character, things that weren' true. He gave that lame 'you wouldn' understand' line."

"He deserves everything you had to say and that punch. Oh once I get my hands on him, there would be more than just a bruise. I don' think he'd be found ever, Daddy and Shawn would gladly help me." Maggie snapped as she bounced the small boy on her knee, leaning back against the couch. She looked around the small cabin, before looking at her sister. "You think he's gonna try and come back tonight for the cabin?"

"I don' think he'll be back tonight, I don' even know if he's still in town, but I'm gonna pack up my clothes, and have daddy get Elsa while I'm at work tomorrow." Beth looked around the small cabin that had been her home for almost four years. 

"I don' think he should have a damn right to this place." Maggie shook her head as she waved her hand. "Well it's a good thing were staying the night too, I don' want you to be alone here."

"Wait, What? I didn--" Glenn started before Maggie shot him a look, causing Glenn to start to stumble over his words. "I mean, I mean yea, yea we can' having you stay alone here."

"You don' have to stay, I'll be fine. It's not like he's gonna come axe murder me or anything." Beth shook her head, and Maggie only looked at her. "Maybe this is a good thing. I mean, this place _is_ his to begin with. I think that staying here is keeping me from movin' on completely. Let him have it back, let him sit in all the memories. Mommy and Daddy will be okay with me stayin' there til I can get my own place."

"Well for one, We're still stayin' so you can just forget about arguin' about that. You're not gonna get out of that easily." Sammy had climbed off Maggie once more, giving her the chance to top off Beth's glass. "Besides you're gonna need help packing after a few more drinks."

"Mag, really I'll be fine." Beth tried to argue as she watched Glenn get up to get the little boy before he went into her room. She gave her brother-in-law a small smile which he returned bringing the squirming child back toward the couch.

"Jus' shut up and enjoy this wine." Maggie giggled as Beth's phone went off. Grabbing it Beth opened up the messages only to have a text from Zach. "Whose that?"

"Remember that T. A. guy from my creative writing class?" Beth looked up at her sister who nodded, holding her wine glass close to her lips. "He just text me _'How about a break from studying sometime this week for drinks? My treat, no intention, just two friends enjoying a beer.'_ "

"Well, why don' you say yes?" Maggie asked a smile playing on her face. "Beth, it's been two years, it might be time to get back out there. I mean what can it hurt?"

"I don' know Mag, I'm not sure if I am ready." 

"You never know til you try, Beth." Glenn spoke up, and Beth met her brother-in-laws eyes. Glenn and her grew very close over the years, especially during the last few months of Maggie's pregnancy with Sammy when Beth was practically living with the two to help out. She hated to admit that she was closer to Glenn then her own brother Shawn, who moved up north with his fiance for a job opportunity the year before. They were best friends, and she loved Glenn dearly as a brother. "Try it out, and if you don't like it then at least you know."

"Glenn's right, you know?" Maggie chimed in, her cheeks red from all the wine only earning a giggle from Beth.

"I guess a drink won' hurt." Beth shrugged as she sent him a reply letting him know she accepted his offer and would let him know what day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recommend you listen to Jefferson Airplane, The Band (they sang 'The Weight'), and Tim Hardin.   
> All are amazing.


	6. Chapter Five: Pictures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please do not hate me for this chapter. I love you all!!

The next morning, Beth said her good byes to her sister and Glenn as they headed back to Atlanta. As the couple drove off, Beth turned toward the cabin with a sad smile toward her old home. Unhooking the key to the cabin door from her key chain, the blonde climbed the steps one last time. She still remember the first night she ever stayed in this cabin, as vivid as yesterday. Slipping the key under the mat, Beth pulled a small folded note out and slipped it between the door and the frame. Daryl's name was neatly written on the folded paper. 

Blinking away her tears, Beth turned away from the door. Beth then made her way into the small stable that housed Elsa. She fed her, and stroked her nose. Hershel Greene was to pick up the chestnut horse later that day while Beth was at work. It saddened her more that she wasn't going to be walking into the small stable again. Kissing the nose of the horse, Beth exited the stable making her way to her truck that was filled with everything she owned. Sliding into the drivers seat, Beth gave the small cabin one last look before starting the engine, Kitten meowing in her carrier in the passenger seat. 

She kept her eyes straight on the road, refusing to look back through the rearview mirror. The cabin wasn't her home anymore. It belonged to Daryl originally, and it belongs to him once more. Wiping the single tear that escaped down her cheek, Beth turned onto the main road, back toward the Greene family farm. Back home with her parents. 

It wasn't long until she pulled onto the dirt road of the farm, the beautiful white house growing bigger as she drove up to the house. Hershel was waiting on the porch for her, much like he always had when she was younger. Jumping out of the truck, Beth quickly made her way toward her father as he descended down the steps. Once she was in arms reached, the older man pulled her into a tight hug. Beth then broke down. The tears that fell the day before were nothing compared to the wave of emotions rushing through her in that moment. 

After two years of bottling everything in. After keeping it all in, she broke down into her father's arms, letting everything she held in rush out of her. Hershel cradled his daughter in his arms letting her cry into his chest. Stroking her hair, the eldest Greene kissed the top of his crying daughter head. He knew best to not say anything, there was nothing he could say to make the younger woman feel any better. Her heart had been broken, and she finally let it herself hurt over it. When the young woman called Hershel the day before to explain everything, the patriarch could only tell her yes to coming home, when that was what her mother and him had been doing for a year after Daryl left. 

"I don' know what to do, Daddy." Beth finally spoke, her voice cracking from the tears. Hershel still only held her, letting her speak. "Why did he have to come back now? Why? Why did it take a book to.. I don' know what to do, Daddy, I don'."

Hershel knew her daughter was torn, since she never once took off her engagement ring as she just powered through the past two years. Her head held high, never giving herself a moment to hurt. She had put her mind to other things, and so much became of her in a short time. She did was she could to ignore the hole that Daryl had left, and now she couldn't ignore it any longer. 

"Just let out sweetie, that's the best you can do for now." Hershel whispered into his daughters hair, and the girl just continued to sob. "Then we'll go have some of your mothers blueberry pancakes."

Beth let out a small laugh in a mix of her tears, looking at up into her fathers eyes. Her own blue ones red from tears, her face trying to force a weak smile. "Thank you, Daddy."

"I told you before, this is your home, never be afraid to come home." Hershel's voice was soft, loving. Everyone of his children knew that they could always come home to the farm. This was their safe haven. "I love you, Bethy. I want you to know that."

"I love you too, Daddy." Beth pulled back slightly, drying her tears as her father took that as a que to gently push her toward the house as he went to retrieve the cat and her things for her.

****

_**The day he brought me my, now fat and talkative cat, Kitten home I never thought I would fall in love with anything else then him. But that dirty little black crying kitten that was all wrapped up in his angel vest proved me wrong. I was going to be twenty around the time, and she was my birthday gift on top of my crossbow he and my sister got for me.** _

_**"Hell of a time catchin' the damn thing." I remember my hunter saying as I held the dirty ball of fur in my arms. He kept calling it Kitten, since it didn't have a name and well I just wound up calling it Kitten too. Thus her name was born. Let me tell you, I never seen such a manly man just become mush for a little tiny kitten. Often I would come home to find the two cuddled on the couch passed out. Both sleeping on their backs, belly ups. I have the picture somewhere I took of them once somewhere in a photo album.** _

_**She was suppose to be mine, but boy was she a daddy's girl. I think its cause he smelled like the woods, and smelling like animals from hunting. When he would leave for work, or to hunt, she would sitting there waiting for him at the door. Kitten did that for the first eight months, or so after he left she would sit there, crying for him. It was hard to get her to understand her daddy wasn't coming home, and that it was just me and her.** _

_**She started to warm up to me more after that, becoming very much a lazy mama's girl. Now when I wake up from a nap on the couch, she's next to me. I think its because I smell similar to him, of the woods, of hunting. I still catch her though, sitting in front of the door, letting out silent meows toward the door. Like she still tries to call for him to come through the door. To come back into our lives, like he never left. Hell, sometimes I think Kitten took it harder him going then I did.** _

Daryl had to stop reading then, fighting tears that suddenly sprang in his eyes. He never stopped thinking about the black kitten, missing her almost as much as Beth. He remembered insisting on bathing the kitten himself when he brought her home. He remembered having a cat when he was a kid, a stray cat that always went up to him and ran from everyone else. It was a black one much like Kitten, one his father had decided one drunken day it'd be funny to shoot the stray. Daryl was only eight, and the cat had become his only friend. 

He remembered starting to cry, and his dad slapping and telling him to man up. His mother had died two years prior, and Merle was running off with friends so the youngest Dixon had no one else to comfort him for the death of his cat. So when Daryl had found the small black kitten, he nearly broke his neck trying to catch it, thinking back to that cat. It was nearing Beth's birthday, and he had already bought Beth's crossbow with the help of Maggie, but the kitten would have been a nice extra gift since she had been wanting a pet for a while. 

Daryl leaned his head back onto the pillow of the hotel room bed, pulling out the picture of Beth and Kitten. He stared at the picture, she told so many of their stories exactly how they happened. With every word she wrote, he felt all the emotions she had felt, especially the ones she was hiding. He wasn't sure if anyone else was able to sense the sadness in her words. That was something Beth was never able to hide from him, her emotions. He knew when something was wrong with her almost instantly. 

"You're a fuckin' idiot, Daryl Dixon." He murmured to himself, as he looked away from her photo, he stared at the ceiling. Had he just stayed they would have happily been married. Possibly a baby on the way if things were going well. But instead he was in a hotel room looking at the only picture he had of hers. "An old fuckin' fool."

***

**_Drinks tonight? I'm having a shitty day, could use a beer?_ **

Beth pressed send as she was quick to clock out. Her shift may have been short, but it was busy. The young blonde was all over the place that day, mixing up orders, spilling drinks, she even accidentally poured hot coffee into a gentlemen's lap. She has wound up apologized profusely. The shift only got worse from there. Her boss was understanding, but told her to try and leave it at the door next time. Unlocking her truck door, her phone went off. 

**_For sure! Pick you up at your place?_ **

Beth texted him the address and the time, before setting off back to the Greene Farm. She had to keep herself turning and driving back to the cabin, like it had been habit for 3 years of working at the diner. Trying her best, Beth tried to feel excited about drinks and not think about Daryl being back. She didn't sleep well the night before and when she tried to nap in her room before work, since all she thought about was Daryl. 

She had felt she was starting to move on, that he was turning into a distant memory. Now she felt like she was back at square one, but this time she couldn't just force her thoughts elsewhere. He was back, and she knew from the moment he returned that kiss that he still felt the same about her. She knew he was going to, and it took every bit of her to not just cave in. Two years went by without him, she was better than to just lay down and let him in. He didn't. 

Pulling up to the Greene Family home, Beth jumped out of the truck, and hurried up to her room to shower and change. Finishing her shower, Beth moved to her room and started looking through her bags for her favorite skinny jeans, and baby blue loose fitting tee. Drying her hair, Beth pulled it up into a high pony with a single braid. Applying light gloss to her lips, Beth stared into the mirror, her eyes on the small ring that laid on her finger. 

The moment he slipped it on her finger, she never took it off but only to get it cleaned. She closed her eyes fighting the tears, remembering the memory she retold in her book. Now all the emotions she fought back when thinking back were finally coming to surface. Her heart ached and her breathing was coming out in short breaths.

Beth remembered after she took down the pig, when she jumped into his arms like she always did when she took down their prey. Daryl this time took her hand once she pulled away, slipping the small ring onto her finger, whispering in her ear to be his wife. She had been so happy she couldn't speak, only kiss him. It was one of her favorite memories to look on, but now. She should be over this, she needed to let go.

Her phone going off indicating a text from Zach telling her he was there. Making sure she didn't look like she was crying, Beth slide the small engagement ring from her finger, placing it on top of her jewelry box. Standing Beth grabbed her bag and started out of the room, before stopping. Looking back toward the jewelry box, Beth stared at the small diamond gleaming on top of the small box. Then she shook her head, turning away from it. She felt more empty now that the ring was off her finger, but Beth knew she had to do it. She had to at least try as she hurried down the stairs, and out the door to meet Zach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed.   
> Next chapter will be out soon


	7. Chapter six: Everything you want

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title is by Vertical Horizon.   
> I think it fits the chapter
> 
> Enjoy :)

She would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy her time out with Zach that night, even with Daryl still trying to invade her thoughts and her having to keep pushing it to the back of her mind. Zach was the perfect gentlemen, making her laugh, and smile. He was charming, and knew exactly the things to say. He was everything that Beth should be with, the kind of guy she should want. Zach was really the perfect guy for her, but something just didn't feel just as right. 

"I had a wonderful time tonight." Zach spoke with a small smile, watching Beth take a sip of her beer. Her eyes looking everywhere but him for a moment.

"I did too, I can' remember the last time I went out." Beth grabbed for the pitcher that Zach had bought them. They sat in the small corner of Hatlin's at one of the tables, it was slow at the bar that night with most the patrons being regulars, so there was no one to disturb the two. "I'm glad I did this."

"Me too." Zach's hand found its way across the table to her own entangling his fingers with hers, a charming smile on his face. Beth looked down toward their hands, his hands felt nice but there was no heat in his touch. Contineing to stare down at the hands, Beth then became painfully aware of the missing ring on her finger. "You're an amazing woman, Beth. You deserve the world and more. And I would love to be the one to give you that."

"Yea.." Beth didn't want to get into that as she withdrew her hand from his to sip at her beer. She knew he took notice that she took off her ring, and he was being more forward then usual, but still maintain his distance. The younger blonde only shrugged off his comment in the end. "It's getting late, and I should be getting home, I have class early and I got that paper to work on."

"Yea, sure. Let me go close the tab. Meet you outside?" Beth nodded as the two slid out of the booth. He made his way toward the bar, as she pushed her way through the doors. 

The cool air hit her face, her jacket wrapping tightly around her small frame. Looking over her shoulder, Beth inhaled the clean air her mind going back to the hunter. She wondered if he went back to the cabin yet, or what he was doing. This caused the blonde to scoff to herself. Of course she would think about Daryl while out with another guy attempting to pick up the pieces. Only Daryl could break her barrier between her and his memory over the years with just one visit.

"What's so funny?" Zach's voice met her ears, causing her to turn around. She forced a bright smile toward him, as he walked up to her. 

"Nothin', just buzzed." She turned to look at him, forcing a small smile. He had green eyes, they were pretty enough, but they weren't those blue eyes that haunt her all the time. He wasn't all that much taller than her, and with her boots on she was nearly as tall as him. 

"Well, then I should get you home." He was only inches from her, a small smirk on his face. His hand ran over her arms, Beth's eyes looked down when he touched her. It was meant to be warming and affectionte only it didn't feel that way all the same, his hands on her in anyways. She shook herself of that feeling to try and keep her smile on her face. 

"Yea," She nodded then he kissed her. It was brief, lasting only a moment then he pulled away. Nothing. Beth only stared toward him as he wore a small smile backing away slightly. 

"Come on." He then took her hand and lead her toward his Dodge Charger, that smile never leaving his face. Beth wasn't sure what she was suppose to feel, when his lips touched hers she didn't feel any chills, no sparks. She felt nothing.

The ride back was filled with him chatting away, filling the car with anything but silence. Not how it use to be with her hunter. Beth tried her best to listen, but her mind was else where as always. She nervously twisted her finger where her ring usually was, trying to get use going without it. Zach noticed her fidgeting hands, taking one, he laced his fingers through hers. Looking down, Beth could only stare at the hands. His hands were soft, clearly not seeing hard days work. Nothing like the rough hands she had always been use to. 

"I had fun tonight, I'd love to see you again." Zach spoke pulling her back from her trance. He had parked in front of the Greene family home, and was watching the blonde.

"Yea, I had fun too." Beth nodded. She liked Zach, he was the perfect guy. He was what she needed. Someone who everyone imagined her to be with. Handsome, smart, had good things coming to him, would be able to provide for her in the future, but there was something missing from him. The instant connection, the attraction. Beth tried to tell herself it would come in time, and it was only cause she was still getting over Daryl. "Yea I'd like that too."

"Great.. I'll text you." Zach's smile got wide as he leaned in to kiss her once more. Beth allowed it, even attempting to enjoy the kiss, but she pulled away not even a moment after.

"Goodnight Zach." Beth smiled as she slipped out of the Charger and up to the Greene home. She didn't look back to watch him drive away, like she use to with Daryl. Instead she just hurried into the house without so much of a second thought of the man driving away.

The house was dark when Beth walked in, clearly showing her parents had long been to bed. It felt strange to not have her father waiting up for her like he use to when she was a teenager, but Beth had to remind herself she was an adult and her father didn't need to wait up for her anymore. Climbing up the steps slowly, Beth thoughts finally drifted back to Daryl. He had been lingering in the back of her mind all night, and was finally taking over her thoughts once more.

She started to wonder how he would react if he saw her out with Zach, and to see the ring no longer on her finger. He had to of noticed the ring still being there when she had used her left hook to punch him, leaving a scratch on his face. She started to think again what he was up to at that moment, and what his life was like now, and Beth stopped dead in her tracks as she started to open the door. 

Was she really still wondering what her ex-fiance was doing at that moment instead of bask in the enjoyment of a nice night out with someone new? Shaking her head, she tried to rid the thoughts as she dropped her bag onto her desk chair. Turning on her lamp, Beth made her way back over to where she left her old engagement ring. Without thinking she picked up the ring and slid it back on, almost like an instinct to have it on. 

"What are you doing, Beth?" She spoke suddenly to herself, slipping the ring back off. It didn't feel right to have it off, but she couldn't keep wearing it. No matter how right it felt to stay on her finger. She wasn't moving on with it staying on her finger. "You haven't taken it off in over three years. It's time to move on."

She felt silly talking to herself as she opened the jewelry box to drop the ring into it. Tears started to form in her eyes as she closed the lid, hiding the small ring from her sight. She hoped if she didn't see it, she wouldn't think about it. Beth had to get use to not wearing the ring anymore, the last of the puzzle to move on. Even with Daryl showing back up, Beth was going to try and move on with her life like he never was there.

Her phone suddenly started to go off inside her purse, and Beth quickly dug for it. It was Maggie calling. This made her laugh since her sister had the best timing it seems.

"Hey." Beth answered quietly, closing her bedroom door then made her way to the bed where Kitten was currently sleeping.

"You home?" Maggie's voice was low too, clearly trying to not wake up Sammy or Glenn with her chatter. 

"Just walked in." Beth sighed as she stroked the black cat's head. Her mind wasn't on the conversation Maggie was dying to have, but on the ring that was in her jewelry box.

"Well? How was it?" Maggie asked eagerly, dying to know how her time with Zach had gone. "Did he treat you right? Didn' try nothin' did he??"

"It went... good." Beth couldn't think of anything else to describe it. She had fun with Zach, and enjoyed his company very much. "He was perfect. So sweet. Said everything right, made me laugh. The perfect gentlemen. We're gonna see each other again."

"There is a but somewhere in there." The older Greene didn't miss a beat when she picked up the tone in her sister's voice. "What's wrong with him?"

"There is _nothing_ wrong with him. He's everything I should want to be with, he's what I need in my life." Beth yawned, as she laid her head onto her pillow. "As I said he was perfect. It's me, Mag. My mind is just in other place right now. I took off my ring tonight before I went out."

"You did?"

"Yea, it feels weird without it though. I guess I gotta get use to it not being on." Beth shrugged as she stared at the jewelry box, fighting the urge to pull the ring back out. Maggie was silent on the other end, allowing her sister to get what she wanted to say out. "It's like it doesn' feel right without it there, but I can' keep wearing it. No matter how right it feels on my hand. And I don' think it'd be fair to Zach if I still wore it. I just keep fighting to keep from rushing to my jewelry box to pull it back out."

"You jus' gotta not think about it, Bethy." Maggie's voice was different, not her usual straight forward demeanor but a soft almost motherly voice, something that was very new to Beth. "It's hard, but eventually you won' even remember you have that ring. You gotta push through this. Hell, send it back to Daryl if you want it out of your life to never think about again. Out of sight, out of mind. Let him have the ring back."

Beth sighed once more, knowing her sister was right. She had to not think about it, she had to take her mind off of the hunter and the ring he had given her. It was going to be a hard journey, a long hard journey, and it had to be done. She couldn't let it rule her forever. 

"One ring to rule them all." Beth let out a small giggle, comparing her ring to the ring from Lord of the Rings. Maggie also chuckled to the small joke. "You're right, Mag. I gotta not think about it. Where's some whiskey or moonshine when you need it?"

"Right?" Maggie laughed, and the sound of her sister's sweet laugh helped her mood greatly. "Why don' you come up here for a few days next week? Get out of dodge for a while. We'd love to have you."

"Does Glenn know you're invitin' me?" Maggie always had a terrible tendency to not let Glenn know about many of Beth's visits, or trips down to see her. 

"You know Glenn doesn' care that you're here. He loves havin' you. You make it easier for him with Sammy. Its a delight to have you here always, sis. Its really not gonna be a problem with him."

"I can see what I can do, maybe come up for the night. I have finals comin' up soon that I gotta get ready for." Beth finally sat up to get ready for bed. She was too tired to work on her paper. "I'm gonna let you go. Got class in the morning and work after that. Hopefully I won' be too tired to work on my paper."

"Alright. I'll text you tomorrow."

"Hey Mag." Beth's voice was soft, almost inaudible.

"Yea, Bethy?"

"I love you."

"I love you too sis. You sleep well, alright? Night, Beth."

"I will. Night, Mags." Beth hung up before she could hear the click showing Maggie had hung up. Putting her phone onto the charger, Beth turned to change out of her clothes from that night to her night gown. The phone went off once more indicating she had gotten a text. Assuming it was from Zach, Beth grabbed the phone. It was from a unknown number with all it reading was:

_**Goodnight, Beth.** _


	8. chapter seven: A Plan Not Thought Through

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> getting these out and written as fast as I can. I was intending this out sooner, along with another fic. I'm trying y'all.

Chapter seven

_**Goodnight, Beth.** _

Daryl sighed as he hit the send button, dropping his head onto the pillow of the bed in his room. He had picked up a new phone since he smashed his old one the night before the wedding. It was one of those cheap smart phone the guy roped him into getting along with a plan he wasn't sure if he wanted to be in, but he was now at least with a phone. 

He knew she didn't change her number, she had even stated a few times in her book she didn't change anything after he left. It didn't matter to him if she responded or not, she was the first person he contacted with his new phone much like he had a few years back withb his old one. He didn't know what she was doing, he didn't care what she was doing just wanted to tell her goodnight. Dialing in another number Daryl hit the call button, and placed it to his ear. 

"Hello?" the familiar voice of Sophia met the hunter's ears after a few rings. 

"Hey it's me." Daryl spoke quietly in almost a grunt. "Got a phone and a new number now."

"Uncle Daryl! Are you okay? Thank you for letting me use the truck by the way. So, did you see her yet? Was she angry? Was she happy? Wha--"

"Hey calm down." Daryl growled, not bothered by her calling him uncle this time around, in fact he welcomed it this time. "'m fine, just holed up in this hotel room. Already saw her yesterday, and that didn' end so well. I'm goin' by the cabin in the morning hoping to catch her before she heads to work to, hopefully can get her to talk. Doubt she wants to see me, but might as well try. Been readin' her book."

"Really? You bought a copy?" Sophia couldn't see Daryl standing in the middle of a book story, but she had to remind herself that she didn't know Daryl as well as she thought she did until she read the book. 

"Might as well support her even through what's goin' on." Daryl shrugged as closing his eyes starting to realize just how tired he was. He had spent the day finishing her book, and his eyes were tired from all the reading. He hadn't been sure how to feel about the end of the book, like she left it open ended. Like she expected him to come back and pick up where they left off. "Soph, I'm gonna get myself some sleep. I called cause your mom asked me to, let you know I'm okay. I'll give you a call tomorrow. Tell your mom said hey and I'll give her a call in the mornin'."

"Okay Uncle Daryl. I love you."

"Yea yea. Night." Daryl hung up the phone and put it on the charger on the night stand next to the bed. He turned off the light and went to close his eyes when the phone chimed suddenly. Grabbing it, Daryl's heart did several flips reading the text. 

_**Sweet Dreams, Daryl.** _

She responded to him, and she knew it was him. He hadn't expected her to respond back, let alone know it was him texting her. Daryl stared at the text before shutting off the screen and placing it back on the night stand. Closing his eyes, Daryl allowed sleep to take over him. 

His sleep was an uncomfortable one, waking up every few minutes thinking about Beth and the words in her book. She hadn't given away the terrible details of his upbringings, nor secrets of his scars. She did bring up Merle often though in her book, not sugarcoating how the older Dixon was. She spoke somewhat highly of him, mentioning her admiration for stepping in during an altercation between her and her abusive ex. She didn't speak to terrible high of him though, but she didn't speak ill of Merle. She stayed neutral on her thoughts and opinions on the older Dixon, which Daryl was very grateful for. 

After tossing and turning too many times to count, the hunter gave up on any sort of sleep. Sitting up in the bed, he rubbed his face and checked the clock on the night stand. Three thirty-five am. Groaning, Daryl pulled himself out of the bed and headed into the small bathroom. Turning the shower on, Daryl adjusted the temperature before slipping off his boxers. The hot water felt good on his body, relieving the tension between the shoulders and neck. 

Closing his eyes, Daryl dipped his head back allowing the water to run through his hair and down his face. A shower hopefully will help him grow tired enough to be able to fall asleep for a few more hours. His thoughts started to wander as he stared at the shower wall. They had mostly gone to Beth, how she would be looking if she was there with him. He could imagine her small hands taking the soap and washing over his body. 

He could feel himself stiffen as he closed his eyes, thinking about the blonde's hands roaming his body. Nightly showers nearly always accompany him jerking off to help aid in the ease of going to sleep. He would normally try and imagine other women to shower to enjoy himself to, but they would always become Beth in the end and she would be the star in whatever sick fantasy he created in his mind for a quick tug. 

Gripping his dick in his hand, he thought about her in the shower with him slipping onto her knees. He could feel himself twitch in his hand when he started to stroke it, his grip firm around it. Daryl imagined her blue eyes staring up at him, and that it was her small hand stroking him. A groan left the hunters lips as he braced himself against the shower wall, thinking about her mouth wrapping around the head of his cock. He paid more attention to the tip as he imagined it being her tight lips around it. 

It had been a while since he had someone go down on him, always finding the bottom of the bottle more striking than a night with some random woman from the bar. Beth had been the last one he had been with, making it so no other woman seemed to be able to get farther than falling all over him while he had more of an interest in his whiskey. It was easy to remember the way her lips felt, and found it even more arousing that it was her lips last on him. 

"Fuck.." Daryl growled as he remembered how she could take him all the way down her throat, his grip tightening slightly as he started to run his thumb over the tip of his cock, swirling his pre cum around. He could feel himself growing close, his hand jerking harder feeling the desperate need to cum. Biting his bottom lip, Daryl's eyes shut tight keeping the image of Beth running her mouth over his cock, her tongue teasing him. Shuddering Daryl came hard, coating the wall with his seed. 

Daryl could feel his knees going weak, and tried to catch his breath, rinsing himself off with the now cold water. Shutting the water off, the hunter slipped from the shower and grabbed a towel. Drying himself off, Daryl made his way back out of the bathroom to the bed. Grabbing the pack of smokes that were resting on the bedside, pulling one out to smoke. 

The moment the harsh smoke met his lungs, Daryl looked back to the clock. Four ten am. Staring at the clock the older man took his time smoking. Once he reached the filter Daryl smashed it into the ashtray beside the bed. Flopping back onto the bed, Daryl shut his eyes and was able to fall asleep well into the early afternoon. 

When he woke, Daryl slipped from the bed, and headed into the bathroom to do his morning business and get ready for the day. He wasn't going to bother texting Beth about showing up to the cabin, thinking she would find a way to allude him, even with this not being the best of ideas for him either. He didn't completely have everything thought out or what he was going to expect from the second interaction with her. He was just going.

Locking the door to his hotel room, Daryl made his way to his bike going over what he wanted to say to her in his head. The ride over was spent with him wondering if she still had the child with her, or if was back with Maggie and Glenn, or whoever its parents were. He wondered what Beth was going to do with him showing back up. Just to talk.

Daryl wasn't an idiot, he know it was going to take a lot of work to get the blonde to open back up to him and for him to get use to a book being written about him. They both needed answers to questions they had. There was a lot of ground they needed to make up, no matter the out come. 

Pulling onto the familiar dirt road, Daryl felt himself grow nervous as the cabin came into view. Her truck was gone he noticed pulling up to the old place. The note on the door caught his eyes, and he slipped off the bike. There was silence coming from the stable, when he knew that Elsa always was doing something to make herself be heard from the cabin. Something didn't feel right. 

Pulling the note from the door, seeing his name scribbled onto the top of it. Opening it slowly, Daryl felt dread fall all over him as he started to read the written words on the paper. 

_**Dear Daryl** _

_**I think I have rewritten this a million times already. It's like the words don't sound right or that I have a hard time forming them to convey the thoughts and feelings on the subject. There is really only one word that could even make any sort of sense in all this is.. why?** _

_**You left and didn't give me the respect to tell me or give me a reason to why. I felt like an idiot walking up to the podium, wearing my wedding dress, to tell our friends and family that you weren't going to be there, that there wasn't going to be a wedding. If you're expecting name calling or you getting told of, then don't. I'm not going to do that, why should I? I set myself up for this really, writing the book and all, but I wasn't expecting it to happen so soon. I didn't think you'd find out so fast.** _

_**Well, it's not technically so soon, it's been two years. Two years, Daryl. It's taken me two years to finally decide to pick up the pieces, and repair my heart. It felt like a lifetime though to be honest. You hurt me, Daryl Dixon, and I have been hurt long enough. When you showed up, I finally broke down and cried. That was the one thing I wasn't going to give you the satisfaction of getting from me. Of course though you got that from me too. You always had that way of getting reactions out of me even if I didn't want them to.** _

_**The cabin was, and still is, yours. I have over stayed my welcome here, so I am giving you back your home. My key is under the mat once more. Maybe it will give me a chance move on, since the cabin was keeping me back. Don't worry though, I managed to convince Maggie to not trash the place after packing up my things and even cleaned it for you.** _

_**I loved you, Daryl. You were all I saw at one point, and I wanted nothing more than to spend my days with you. Mother your children, and create a life we both were both wanting. All that is over now, and I am now just some girl you broke the heart of. Goodbye Daryl.** _

_**Beth** _

The words struck Daryl as he had to take a seat on the steps in front of the cabin. He reread the letter over and over, the tears starting to form. He didn't know what to expect, but this wasn't even an idea that could crossed his mind. Pulling his phone out, he knew better than to do this but he had to. 

The sound of music met his ear, as he allowed the tears to start to fall. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but he was on autopilot. 

"Hello?" The sound of her tired voice met his ear. 

"We need to talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoy.


	9. Chapter eight: Where You Headin?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> way too over do, but its out. :) 
> 
> thank you for my friend Carolina who beta'd this chapter, and to Jazznsmoke for kicking my butt as much as Carolina was to get this out. :) You girls rock and I love you both <3
> 
> hope you all enjoy.

Sleep would not come, no matter how desperate she was for it. Kicking last of the sheets off her bed in frustration Beth looked toward her alarm clock. Three thirty-five am. This only seemed annoyed the blonde even more. Kitten had long given up trying to sleep with her and was now comfortable somewhere in her room. Flipping onto her back, her eyes stared pointlessly at the ceiling. Everything that had happen over the last few days had left her stressed, and feeling wound up so much she wanted to scream. 

Everything with Daryl had gotten her damn near driven insane coming back, and the small simple life she had learned to live uprooted faster than she had wanted. She didn't want to admit to anyone, much less than herself, that she missed Daryl more than she could imagine. She knew she would be able to survive and learn to be happy without him, but there would always be something missing. She didn't feel it with Zach the way she felt it instantly with Daryl. She liked him well enough and had truly enjoyed his company, but if she allowed her mind to wander it always went to the kiss she shared with Daryl when he showed back up to the cabin. The moment her lips met his it had nearly lit her on fire, and almost couldn't pull away from him. 

It had been a while since she had any sort of pleasure, let alone been with anyone. Daryl was the last person she had slept with, and still the only person she had ever been with. The idea of being with someone else had put her off for the longest time. She knew it would go away with time, but a part of her had a feeling no one would ever compare to him. Touching herself had always seemed more appealing than being in some stranger's bed, and she hoped greatly it would relax her enough to final get a few hours of peaceful sleep. 

Sitting up for a moment, Beth slipped off her nightgown leaving her only in her panties before allowing her head to fall back onto the pillow. The cold air hitting her skin, sending goose bumps all over her. Letting her eyes close slowly, Beth moved her hands over her stomach in light circles up to her breast. Brushing her fingers over her taunt nipples, Beth took a sharp inhale of breath as her mind started to imagine Daryl large rough hands instead of her small soft ones. She could almost smell his scent mixed with woods and dirt, as she massaged her breast gently. There was no need for any sort of warm up; it didn't take much with him in her fantasy. 

Rubbing her thighs together to create more friction, Beth moved one of her hands from her breast down her stomach. In her mind though, it wasn't her hand that moved down her stomach, reaching to the edge of her panties. Parting her thighs, Beth's finger moved over her moistening panties as a soft sigh left her lips. Pushing against the fabric, Beth bucked her hips when she teasingly pushed onto her most sensitive part; pulling her hand back up to the top of the light gray fabric, slipping a single finger under the elastic band, taking her time as she purposely teased herself. Slipping the hand further into her panties, she used her middle finger to slip into her moist lips. 

Her hips bucked when her fingers brushed over her clit, her mouth falling slightly open. Focusing intently on the quivering nub, Beth's breathing started to come in soft pants. She was able to imagine Daryl's intense gaze, swerving her hips around getting her closer to the edge. She allowed her finger to dip into her, before adding another enjoying the building pleasure. Pinching at her nipple gently, she bucked her hips up desperately as her fingers returned to her clit. Picking up the pace of her fingers, the blonde's mouth fell open, her whole body tensing as she came undone; every muscle tensed with a silent moan leaving her lips. 

As her body finally relaxed, Beth's eyes finally opened back up to stare up at her ceiling. She was coming out of her haze causing a sigh to escape her lips, pulling her hand out of her panties. Sitting up once again she made a grab for her nightgown. Standing on shaky legs the blonde pulled the gown over her head as she head out of the room to the bathroom. Switching on the light, Beth caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her skin was lightly flushed with her hair tangled up into a rats nest. Shaking her head, Beth used the restroom real quick before moving to wash her hands. Looking back up into the mirror it was obvious to see how tired she was with her lids shutting on her. She did her best to not fall asleep to finish washing her hands to get back into her warm bed. 

The moment her head had hit the pillow she was asleep not giving herself a chance to register anything she was thinking about. She slept hard for hours, only to be awoken to her phone going off. Letting out a loud annoyed groan, the blonde's hand grabbed the phone from the nightstand. Not bothering to open her eyes to see who was calling, she swiped the phone to answer. 

"Hello?" She hoped whoever was calling could hear the tiredness in her voice, and made the caller feel terrible, even if it was her boss. 

"We need to talk." His voice cracked on the other end, as if he had been crying. She knew the moment he said the first word who it was, and she knew she shouldn't have responded to him the previous night. 

"No we don'." Beth sighed, her eyes not opening even when she tried to will them to. 

"Yes, we do Beth. I'm at the cabin and I read your note." Daryl never sounded so broken before, and Beth had to keep herself from feeling terrible for it. She needed to say what she said in the note, she had told herself after leaving the cabin she wasn't going to look back or bother anymore to find out why he had left. "We need to talk."

"Daryl, I don' wanna talk. I decided I don' wanna know anymore." Beth snapped then, deciding her patience was wearing thin since he did wake her up and he knew she hated it when he did that. "It's too early to deal with this anyways."

"Too early." Daryl let out a cold chuckle, as he fought to calm himself. She was able to hear it in his voice. "Beth, it is not too early for this, but it can' be too late."

"It is, Daryl." Beth growled, feeling the desire to go back to sleep leave her, allowing anger to take over. "It's two fuckin' years too late. I wasn' the one who left, Daryl, I wasn' the one who just disappeared. If you think you can just come back here and I'd take you back no questions asked then you are out of your damned mind. I started seeing someone, and I'm finally moving on. If you havn' already tried to move on then I recommend you do the same. We're over, and that was your choice not mines."

There was silence on the other end, almost as if he had hung up. Beth waited for him to finally respond, not wanting to admit to the tears falling from her eyes. The last thing she wanted was to cry on the phone with him. Hell, she didn't want to cry for him at all anymore. Her heart had already been broken enough, why break it more and cause pain. 

"I can' even if I wanted to," Daryl's voice was oddly calm, scaring the blonde slightly. She didn't know what reaction she was going to get, but it sure wasn't what she imagined. "I fucked up, I know this, but you did too Beth. You wrote that book, and that itself was fucked up. But I will never love anyone the way I love you. I never stopped fuckin' lovin' you. I will never stop. And you love me too. You never stopped and will never stop either. Go play house with someone else, he'll never make you feel the way I did. I will only ever love you, and there ain't gonna be no one else."

He didn't give her the chance to respond and hung up. The words hit the blonde like a ton of bricks, and she couldn't stop herself from burying her head into her pillow sobbing. She tried to tell herself that what he said wasn't true, and that he was wrong. Zach was a good enough guy for her, and she enjoyed his company. Only a part of her knew that Daryl was right, and she hated it when he was right. 

***

"Hello, Welcome to Stuff and Things Hardware." A peppy young brunette spoke up when Daryl made his way into the small hardware store, she was smiling brightly as he made his way to the counter. "Is there anything I can help you find?"

"Is Ty here?" the older man grunted, his eyes scanning around the store. It had been two years since he had seen Tyreese so it felt weird to him to be showing up at his business looking for work.

"Let me get him." She nodded as she hurried to the back of the shop. There were a few patrons browsing the aisles of the shop, and Daryl remembered back when it was just an empty building and a dream Tyreese had. Now over two and a half years later it was a full business, one that was working well from the looks of it. 

"Daryl! You are the last man I expected to see!" A voice filled with laughter boomed through the store, causing Daryl to turn in the direction it was coming from. Tyreese was a buff black man with a friendly smile, and good heart. The two had become close friends back when they both worked construction together. One of the few friends the Dixon had made. 

Tyreese grasped the hunter's hand in a firm shake, a large smile planted on his face. The beard he had been sporting the last time Daryl saw him was now gone, leaving him clean shaven. Daryl noticed he still had the same damn beanie he wore back when they worked together, with a pair of jeans and a simple brown T-shirt. Daryl was truly happy to see him again. 

"Jus' got back into town a few days ago." Daryl shrugged forcing a small smile on his face, though he knew that it wouldn't be forced for long. Through all the time he had known the other man, there wasn't a moment where that man didn't have someone smiling. "The place looks like its doin' well."

"Yea, Yea. Karen keeps up with the whole financial end, which is great. Business is doing pretty well." Tyreese sounded proud of what he had accomplished, and Daryl felt proud for him as well. After hearing Tyreese talk non-stop about opening his own business, it made the hunter proud that he made his dream a reality. "How about you? How are things with you? You and Beth get back together?"

"I been survivin', just been tryin' to get through life." Daryl avoided the question about him and Beth. Their phone call that afternoon was still fresh in his memory, and he showed up to see Tyreese to find a way to help not think about her. "Listen, I know we haven' seen each other in a while, but I was just wonderin' if you have any openings? Or at least know somewhere who’s lookin' to hire."

"Don' look no further." Tyreese's smile only widened, clapping his large hand against the hunters back. "I was just talking to Karen about bringing on another person, mostly to stock and close up the shop at night. Come on; let’s head to the back to get started on the paper work."

Daryl followed him to the back, feeling the gaze of the brunette at the counter check him out. She was pretty enough, but he didn't give her another glance only following the darker man as he talked animatedly to the hunter trying to keep up with everything the other man was saying. He had thought about going back to Carol's and selling the cabin, but a part of him decided against it. That was Merle not him. Merle was the one who would run away from all his problems, not Daryl. He was still staying in the hotel though, not ready to return to the empty cabin that was filled with memories of the blonde. He started to wonder when he was going to run into her and her someone new and mostly how was he going to react to them. 

"I can' thank you enough for this Ty." Daryl spoke, taking a seat in the small office in front of the desk, forcing his thoughts away from Beth. Tyreese only waved his hand toward the hunter, his wide smile started to affect the hunter whose small smile only got wider. 

"Hey, you were the one who told me to get off my ass and open up the place than just dreaming. I owe you one for that." Tyreese started to pull out several different kinds of paperwork from the filing cabinet and sat it in front of the hunter. "Just fill this out, Karen should be here from her doctor's appointment, and she'll be able to get you in the system and a schedule. You'll be working with me for the first month, helping you get use to the routine, and closing up."

Daryl only nodded as he started in on the paperwork, chatting casually with the other man about the shop and everything Tyreese had been up to for the last two years. He had married his longtime girlfriend, Karen, the previous year and the two were expecting their first child in the early summer of the next year. Tyreese told him about his sister, Sasha, and how she met a medic while responding to a fire, and the two were recently moving in together up in Jacksonville. Daryl had only met Sasha a small handful of times at small Barbecues’ that Tyreese would have almost every weekend during the summer. He remembered her as a bossy woman, who always had taken over the grill from Tyreese so he wouldn't burn the patties, and Daryl always assumed she was a lesbian from the way her brother always spoke about her. 

"Hey, what are you doing this evening?" Tyreese suddenly asked, and the hunter's blue eyes met his friendly chocolate brown ones. "Come have dinner with me and Karen if you don't have anything planned. I'm cooking up some steaks, and if I remember correctly, you like yours still almost mooing."

***

"Ma'am, I asked for scrambled eggs, these are over easy." A woman at least fifty spoke when Beth sat the large plate in front of her. This was the fifth order that shift she had gotten wrong, and if she messed up again Dean would be taking it out of her check. 

"Oh, goodness, I am so sorry about that ma'am. Let me go get that fixed for you." Beth forced a weak smile as she took the plate back from the woman. This was becoming a regular thing to the blonde, her mind being everywhere, but on work. Setting the plate back on the counter to the cook, Beth smiled apologetically to him. "Sorry. This one wanted scrambled not over easy. My mistake."

"Damn girl again?" the cook laughed as he took the plate and started to redo the plate. He shot another glance toward the young blonde, her hair was in a sloppy bun and there were circles under her eyes. It was clear she had other things on her mind. "You look like you can use a vacation."

Beth blushed slightly, as she looked around the diner, mostly toward the door. There wasn't a day that went by that Beth wasn't thinking of Daryl, even when she was out with Zach. His phone call still haunted her even after nearly a month; his words were still burnt in the back of her memory. She was a mess, and what had made it worse was the other girls at the diner had told her he had been showing up sometimes with the owner of Stuff and Thing's hardware, Tyreese. One of the girls said that he was now working at the hardware store, and had heard him talking to Tyreese about a woman and her daughter he was helping support back in Cordele. It sparked a rumor with the waitress' that he was seeing this woman, and had their theories that she might have been the reason he left Beth. Only she knew better than to buy into their gossip, Beth knew the truth in his words when he told her there would be no one else. But even though Beth had been working more in the diner since winter break let out, the blonde had yet to see the hunter come in. Was he avoiding her?

"I'll take over for you, Dean wants to see you." Annie, one of the other waitresses spoke up from behind Beth. She was in at least her early sixties, and was the only waitress who didn't take part in the silly gossip. Beth only nodded as she made her way into the back room, where the break room was and Dean's office. 

Making her way toward the open door of the manager's office, Beth tried to keep her breathing calm. After everything she's been dealing with, she didn't need this as well. Stopping at the door, she stood there for a moment while Dean watched some random video on his laptop. She couldn't help though burst into a small giggle when he spoke out suddenly, "Ha-Ha, cats. This cat video is like hilarious. I just found this thing called YouTube it’s awesome. Shut the door and have a seat, Greene."

Beth took a seat in the chair in front of Dean's desk, smoothing her uniform out nervously as she looked up at the older man. Dean was in his mid-thirties, but looked as if he was only in his twenties; he had piercing green eyes and brown hair. There was always a playful smirk gracing his lips, which as he shut the laptop it fell as well. This caused the blonde to shift nervously, moving to sit on her hands since she wasn't sure what else to do. 

"You wanted to see me?" Beth was surprised she was even able to talk, she was so nervous. It wasn't often Dean had to call anyone into the office, the last time was to fire one of the girls coming to work drunk and that had been over a year ago. 

"You're one of my best girls, Beth, you know that right?" Dean started leaning back in his chair, watching the blonde's movements. "Never late, always getting orders right, a natural from day one; you didn't even need to be trained really."

"You still remember that?" Beth asked and Dean flashed her a small smile. 

"Why wouldn't I?" Dean chuckled, as his face suddenly became serious. "You have been one of my best since the start; which is why I don't like having you sit here in my office with the door shut. Three wrong orders on your last shift, who knows how many this shift, let’s not get into how many orders you got wrong this past month. I been getting complaints on you just dazing off when you should be getting orders, something I don't really like getting about you. Why don't you tell me what's gotten you so distracted?"

Beth sat there quiet, not sure what to say to the older man. She didn't want to admit to her boss that her ex-fiancé was to blame for quite a bit of her distraction, let alone to herself. Moving her hands from under her legs, Beth fingers instantly went to where her ring used to be. She was used to playing with it when she was in stressful situations, so when she felt nothing but skin it took everything in her to keep from crying. Dean's eyes watched her as she refused to look at him as she finally spoke, "I am so sorry about all the messing up orders, and being so distracted. I jus' haven' been myself lately is all. I'll be back to normal soon."

"Greene, I'm always here. I hear the other waitresses talking. They think I don't, but I do. Trust me, I wish I didn't know half the shit they say." Dean shuddered animatedly after the last comment, before continuing. The hardest part about having Dean as a manager was sometimes it was hard to take him seriously even when he was being serious and quite terrifying. "I even seen him in here, and I will tell him to stop coming to this diner if the gossip is too much for you."

"No, no, that isn't necessary." Beth's eyes widen as she quickly tried to plead with the man. "It's not because of him really. It's just school was really hectic this past semester, my book's getting' a lot of attention, I just been a little stressed lately is all."

"I'm not firing you, Greene. Though I am sure you don't even need this job anymore, you're one of the best and I know you'll make up for this." Dean pointed toward the blonde as she watched him flash another small smile toward her as he moved forward, so his elbows rested on the desk. "I am, however, going to be sending you home until you take care of whatever it is that's going on with you. Hell, if you even decide you want to come back. But hey, at least I'm not firing you."

Beth could only stare at the man, before nodding slowly her attempt to not cry starting to fail her. She didn't say anything else before standing up and walking from the office. He may not have fired her, but he might as well have from how he was sounding. Making her way to the time clock, Beth punched out for the day then retrieved her things from the locker room. Using the back door of the diner, Beth allowed the cold air to hit her face, tears finally falling. Shuffling through her purse she pulled out her keys to her truck, nearly running to her truck to get in. Slamming the door shut, the blonde let out a small cry and laid her head on the steering wheel breaking down for what felt like the millionth time that month. It was getting tiring. Wiping her face of the tears that were falling Beth started the truck, taking off as fast as she could in the small parking lot to head back to the farm. 

She didn't go inside when she got back to the farm, instead made her way to the stables, not caring if she was still in her uniform. Saddling up Elsa, Beth hopped onto the mare to set off toward the surrounding woods. Beth rode the horse for hours, not caring if she was getting her work uniform dirty or that she wasn't wearing the proper clothes, allowing the sounds of nature help try to clear her mind. It wasn't until well past dusk when she finally got back onto the farm and put up the horse for the night. The ride helped her clear her mind from everything momentarily, but when she shut the door to Elsa's stall all of the stress came back in full force. With her shoulders slightly slumped the blonde made her way toward the large Greene family home, her eyes down casted to the ground. 

"Your mother said you were home." her father's voice spoke from the swing on the porch, causing the blonde to look up. Hershel stood as his youngest daughter made her way up the steps. "Everythin' alright, Bethy? You didn't even change out of your work clothes before taking off on Elsa."

"Dean sent me home today." Beth started, wanting desperately for someone to talk to; wanting desperately to talk to her father. Hershel took his daughter's hand and moved her so the two were now sitting on the swing, Beth's head on her father's shoulder. "Said not to come back until I take care of what's going on with me."

"And what would that be?" Hershel asked softly, his lips finding the top of her head. Moving his hand up and down her arm, he did his best to comfort her. "It doesn't have anything to do with Daryl, does it?"

"It's not just him, daddy." Beth spoke softly, pulling from her father to meet the same blue eyes she inherited. "It's everything. I mean, I uprooted my entire life without any time to adjust. I am at my wits end, and I don' know how I got this way. I kept my head up high for so long, and I thought I was okay. I thought I was stronger than this."

"Hey, now you listen to me." Hershel squeezed her shoulder as he spoke, his voice soft and loving, sending waves of comfort through his young daughter. "Sometimes life just throws you curve balls that you aren't ready for, but you keep pushing. You are rushing to get your life going again. What you need to do is to stop rushing life and enjoy yourself. Get out of town for a while; get away from your life here."

"Like take a vacation?" Beth asked looking away from her father, thinking over the idea. She did remember hearing from Joe, the cook, that she needed a vacation and the idea started to appeal to her more. 

"Why not? Take a weekend to pamper yourself? Get away." 

"I wouldn't mind renting a cabin or something." Beth spoke softly, her eyes looking forward. She had taken a brief moment that maybe she could get a hotel at a nice hotel, but it didn't feel like her. She liked the idea of being in a cabin again, even if it was only for a few nights. The idea of going alone was more enticing then possibly taking Zach with her, even though she was sure he would gladly join her in a heartbeat. She enjoyed his company and was slowly growing use to kissing him, but she wasn't sure she wanted to take that step and spend a weekend with him. "Be nice to have a weekend away."

"Would do you some good. I'll even pay for your trip." Hershel smiled as he planted a kiss on her temple before standing, Beth followed suit. "Let’s go have a slice of your mother's peach pie. Maybe two if she doesn't stop us before we can sneak the second one."

"I love you, daddy." Beth giggled as she walked with her father into the house. 

"I love you too, Doodlebug."

******

_Girl I know I don’t know you_  
But your pretty little eyes so blue  
Are pulling me in  
Like the moon on your skin  
I’m so glad you trusted me  
To slide up on this dusty seat 

Daryl was quick to shut the radio off in his truck when the song started to play. He had noticed that Sophia had messed around with all the controls in his truck when she was using it, and was still trying to get at least the radio stations back in order. Not having it on a country station in the truck was a big one for the hunter since he came to live with the Peletier's, all the music reminded him of her too much. He was happy though to have his truck back when he returned to Cordele for thanksgiving as he had promised, and fixed Sophia's truck. That was almost three weeks ago, and Daryl finally made the decision to move back into the cabin after staying in a hotel for the whole month he had been training with Tyreese. Several times he had considered just going back to Cordele with Carol and Sophia, but he ended up enjoying his small job in Tyreese's to shop.

Tyreese had sent him to a management course up in Peachtree City so that Daryl could keep an eye on the shop when Tyreese wasn't there. Daryl tried his best to decline the new responsibility, after only being there a month, but Tyreese insisted. So after staying in another hotel for the past few days, Daryl was ready to get back to his cabin and do nothing but get drunk that weekend. His drinking seemed to have gotten worse over the past month, and had taken to stay in to get drunk instead of out where he could run into her and her boyfriend. Lighting a cigarette, Daryl took a deep intake of nicotine smoke before blowing it out trying to ignore his thoughts of the blonde. When he would show up to the diner with Tyreese sometimes for lunch, he would be torn by hoping she wasn't there and wanting to see her one more time. Seeing her probably would have sent him back to Cordele without another consideration, the pain would have been too much. 

Taking his time on his smoke, Daryl noticed a truck was coming into view with its hood up. He recognized the truck instantly before noticing the young blonde who kicked the bumper of her truck, earning a laugh from the hunter as he pulled to the side of the road. Daryl had taken a quick consideration to just keep driving, but something told him he should stop and help. Beth had turned when he had pulled up to face him, her face was filled with hope but that fell suddenly when she saw who it was. 

"I thought I told you that thing was gonna die on you one day." Daryl called out as he jumped out of his truck making his way over toward Beth and her truck. She had an annoyed look on her face, her arms crossed so the kimono type top she was wearing draped over her in a classic way as she accompanied it with ripped jeans and her old boots. She had her hair in a braid down the side of her head, and Daryl had to keep from making it obvious he checked her out. 

"I'm fine, Daryl. Just waiting for a tow truck." Beth spoke as he stopped in front of her truck, ignoring her comment. He blowing out another drag of smoke, Daryl started to try and see why her truck broke down. 

"With what reception?" Daryl replied as he tossed his smoke onto the ground to stomp it out, backing away from her truck. He had a lopsided grin on his face at her little attitude. "You never get reception right here."

"Thanks for reminding me." Beth snapped as she stomped her feet, almost like a child. This only seemed to amuse Daryl suddenly instead of infuriating him. Maybe it was because Beth was stuck on the side of a road, getting help from her ex. He slipped onto his back, not caring much for the torn plaid button up he was wearing and checked underneath. Pulling himself up from under the truck, he checked the oil and shook his head.

"You fucked this thing up. You didn' think to get the oil checked?" Daryl spoke as he walked over toward the young woman, who was trying to get her phone to call out ignoring him. He noticed a few suitcases in the back, and he looked at the blonde.

"You piece of shit!" Beth yelled at her phone as she turned toward Daryl, tears threatening to fall which took the hunter by surprise. "Why does this have to happen? Of all days!"

"You goin' somewhere?" Daryl asked, watching the blonde as he put another smoke between his lips. 

"Not that it’s any of your business, but yes, I am." Beth wouldn't look at him as she started to stomp back toward town. Her truck had to break down at the worst reception area for her, and the only person who cared to stop was Daryl. Some would have taken it as fate, but in Beth's case it was just a bit of bad luck. He was part of the reason she was leaving town for the weekend, a weekend away from everyone. Especially him.

"Why isn't your _boyfriend_ goin' with you?" Daryl asked, making sure he emphasized the term. Beth shot him a nasty look as he started to follow her, knowing it pissed her off even more. 

"I am having a weekend to myself thank you very much." Beth spoke before feeling a hand touch her arm. His touch nearly sent her whole body in flames, and she had to keep herself from throwing herself into his chest. Yanking her arm away from him, she finally whirled around to face him. "Why did you even stop? To antagonize me? To make me go insane?"

"You think I am that much of a dick?" Daryl asked his face growing dark. Beth only stared at the older man, feeling taken back by his response. He didn't look angry though, instead looking hurt turning away from her. 

"No, I don' think that." Beth spoke with a sigh. Daryl only turned to look at her to find her looking at him with sad eyes. He could see that everything was crashing around the woman before him, and her truck breaking down was just another thing to add on. "Thank you for looking at the truck. I'm just gonna start toward town or at least til I can get reception to call daddy."

"Don' be silly, Beth." Daryl spoke before she could turn away to start for town. He moved past her and opened the back of her Ford to pull out her bags. "Where you headin'? I'll take you there, and will help you rent a car to get back."

"No." Beth started to shake her head furiously as she watched Daryl toss her few suitcases into the back of his truck. "Daryl, no. I don' think that's a good idea. I mean a ride to town yea, but not to where I'm goin'."

"Beth, will you just shut the fuck up for once and not argue with me?" Daryl spoke, but there was no anger in his voice, which took Beth by surprised. He walked up to her with a small smirk on his face, holding her gaze through his hair that was falling in his face. "Let me do this for you. I'll even come back to pick you up if you want or drop you off at the nearest car rental place. You can call your dad when you get reception. Don' want ya to miss your little vacation. Now, where you headin'?"

Beth stared into his eyes, finding herself falling into them. She knew better than to agree to this, feeling deja vu all over again. Looking toward her truck, then back to Daryl and his intense stare that was suddenly swallowing her up as she spoke, "I'm headin' to Ellijay. I rented a cabin up there."

"Then let's head to Ellijay." Daryl spoke as the blonde walked passed him straight for the passenger side of his truck. Seeing her sit in his truck again almost ripped his chest in half, heading toward the truck himself. Why he had offered to take her, he wouldn't really know, but something told him he might not regret his decision.


	10. This Love Ain't Finished Yet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to my amazing beta Carolina for this chapter. love you girl. 
> 
> And Jazznsmoke for all her support <3 go check out her stuff. :) its amazing. 
> 
> well... enjoy!

The ride was silent, the tension between the two so thick you could cut it with a knife. Beth took to staring out the window, long giving up on the pout she had been doing at the beginning of their drive. She had several opportunities to have him stop at a few different car rental places, but Beth never was able to come around to mentioning stopping once. Daryl didn't mind the silence, in fact a part of him was overjoyed that she allowed him to do this for her. He had half expected her to throw another punch when he had insisted on giving her a ride. Even braced himself in case it happened, but she didn't. Instead she sat silently in a huff in the passenger side, not mentioning having him drop her off at the nearest car rental place. Instead she just sat there, not really speaking. 

"So you're stayin' at where again?" Daryl spoke finally after almost two hours into the drive. Beth turned to look at him with a bit of a frown on her face. 

"A cabin." Beth spoke, her blue eyes staring at the older man. She took notice to the smile that he had been wearing since the moment they had gotten in the car. 

"A cabin, huh?" He shot a look over toward her, the sky starting to darken. Licking his bottom lip, he turned his attention back to the road. Beth kept her gaze on him a while longer, before finally breaking away. "I take it you were plannin' to get food when you got up there?"

"Yea, I was..." Beth reluctantly replied, hearing the nervous laughter in his voice. She couldn't tell if he was making fun of her, or if he was only trying to keep the situation light. It was pretty damn clear that she wasn't making the tension in the car easy with him, but how else was she supposed to feel. She was supposed to be having the weekend to herself, not hitching a ride to her small get-a-way with her ex-fiancé, the reason she was taking this weekend to begin with. 

"We'll stop by the nearest store and ya can go get groceries." 

"Daryl, no. You don' have to do that." Beth argued, trying to force herself to tell him to just take her to get a rental car, but for some reason the words didn't come. As if she didn't want him to. 

"Ya need food right?" This time when he casted a look toward her, Beth knew the look all too well; it was the look he always had when he had made up his mind on something. Beth knew there was no arguing with him, no matter how much she wanted to. When Beth didn't respond, the hunter only nodded his head to prove that he was right. "Why don' you check that Google thing on the phone for the closest store."

" _That Google thing?_ " Beth snorted as she started to giggle, Daryl kept casting confused glances toward her as she continued to laugh. 

"What? Ain't that what it's called?" Daryl knew his way around a computer, but a computer phone was foreign to him. 

"You mean an app?" She was far to amused by his choice of words, but her giggle was infectious because Daryl couldn't help to start to laugh. Casting another quick look toward her, Daryl's heart slammed against his chest when he saw a bright _real_ smile playing on her features. One that was directed toward him, something he didn't think he would ever see. 

"Yea, that. Jus' find a store." Daryl chuckled as he pulled a smoke out of the pack on his dashboard. Rolling the window down, Daryl lit the tobacco stick inhaling the harsh smoke. Beth didn't take notice to the strong smell of tobacco that filled the truck as she looked up a store close by, as he directed. 

There was a store close to the cabin that the two decided to just stop by, since it wasn't too far from them anyway. It wasn't long before Daryl was pulling into the parking lot of the market and into an open spot; the hunter killed the engine and moved to get out to go in with her, but the blonde managed to regain some reserve and held her hand up. When she spoke her voice was quick and stern. "I'm goin' in alone. Jus' stay here. I'll be out in ten minutes."

Daryl sat there a moment before finally nodding; he almost forgot for a second that she was an ex to him. The way the two eased so easily back into how things were before, so it was easy to forget that she wasn't his, but possibly someone else's. In fact, he knew she was from what Ty's wife would hear through her friends. That town was too damn gossipy for its own good. Beth sat there a moment watching him light his third smoke within an hour, before blinking almost completely back into reality; she hopped out of the truck without another word.

Grabbing a cart once inside, the blonde was surprised to see how empty the store was of customers for an early Friday evening. Starting her rounds in the produce section, Beth worked her way through the aisles slowly. Without thinking she began to grab items that she use to always get for Daryl and it wasn't until the meat section that she realized she was shopping for two people instead of just one; as if he was going to be staying the entire weekend with her, causing her to be unsure why she had the idea in the first place. Steering onto the alcohol aisle, the blonde grabbed a large 36 pack of beer to pull into the bottom part of the cart; on top of grabbing several bottles of wine. Making a mental note of how many bottles of whiskey she was going to request at the register from behind a case, Beth finished up her shopping before checking out. She wanted to get to the cabin as soon as she could, so she could get drunk the rest of the night alone. 

"Did you find everything okay, ma'am?" The cashier asked with a wide smile on his face as Beth started to pile her items onto the conveyer belt. He was clearly checking her out as he started to scan her items. He was cute, mid-twenties, with short curly brown hair, and Beth found he looked a lot like Zach; reminding her of her boyfriend back home. 

"Yea, Can I get two bottles of Wild Turkey and two of Fireball." Beth asked as she fished for her id. Handing him the piece of plastic before he could ask, the man checked the photo and the age before handing back the card. After finally adding the whiskey to her purchase, Beth paid for all the groceries before pushing the cart out to the truck. Daryl must have gotten out of the truck while he was waiting for her to come back out, because he was now leaning against the front bumper of the truck on the phone with someone with a smoke in his mouth. Seeing Beth approach, he straightened up to help her put the bags into the truck. 

"Thanks again for doin' this, Ty. Just leave it in front of my cabin. I'll start workin' on it when I get home. I'll call if I need help. Ha, See ya Monday, man." He spoke quickly to the person on the phone, who Beth picked up was Tyreese. Slipping the phone into his pocket after hanging up, he stared at the many bags of food, a thin layer of his smoke almost creeping into his eyes. "God damn, Greene, looks like you got enough food for a week."

"Shut up Daryl." Beth snapped, trying to set boundaries back into place that he so easily just strolled through during their short drive. Daryl was in the process of grabbing a few bags to put into the truck cabin with them when he stopped and looked at her, taken by surprise her coldness. Brushing it off he looked down and caught sight of all the booze she had gotten. 

"Ain't no way you're gonna finish all this booze this weekend without killin' yourself." Daryl muttered with a cold tone toward her, proceeding to help her; ignoring the rudeness in her voice. He expected her to be cold toward him, but it still didn't stop him from feeling hurt and annoyed by the way she was acting toward him. Beth just gave him a look before putting the last bag in the back before pushing the cart away to stop back over to the passenger's side. Daryl stood there for a minute before getting into the truck himself. "I'll help you bring this shit in, and then I'm gone. Now what's the address."

Beth gave him the address and the hunter pulled out his phone. He wasn't one to use GPS, normally preferring actual maps and his skills, but he just wanted to get there as soon as he could. It took him a minute to figure out how to exactly use the program on his phone, before finally figuring it out. Putting the truck into drive, Daryl sped out of the parking lot toward the direction the program commanded him to. Beth tried her best to not feel bad for snapping at him, but she couldn't help it. She had every right to be angry toward him, to be cold toward him, even if he's doing her a favor. It was getting harder to be bitchy toward him and not feeling terrible about it. 

Looking out the window, Beth became lost in thought about the hunter feeling torn suddenly; she wanted to slap, punch, scream at him, to never see him again, but then she didn't want him to leave angry and regretting doing this kind act. Looking over toward him, she was able to see through the darkening cabin that he was paying attention on the road, a fresh smoke in his hand. He was running his thumb over the hair around his mouth, and clearly pissed. Looking over his features, Beth was still able to see the beautiful man she first laid eyes on at that bonfire so many years ago. He hadn't aged much, but he looked tired, as if the weight of the world was still on his shoulders. 

Beth realized things happened to him during those two years they were apart. Not just her. He had suffered from other things then just leaving Beth; it was clear in his eyes and his features. It only made Beth feel like a bigger bitch, even when she shouldn't. Pulling up to the cabin finally, the two couldn't stop from gasping at the beauty of the place, even in the dark. It was a gorgeous cabin, with a deck that almost wrapped around half of the cabin with what looked like a rocking chair, and a few other lounge chairs placed by the main door. The cabin itself on the outside was beautiful, traced in a beautiful forest green color.

Jumping out of the car, the two stared up at the cabin, before retrieving the groceries first to take inside. Walking up the steps to the cabins porch, Beth started to fish for the key that she had gotten from her father, since he had come up to pick out the cabin himself; even after telling her father that she was going to pay for it all. Opening the door to the cabin, Beth switched on the light, earning another gasp from her as they walked inside. They had walked into a beautiful kitchen that was almost completely open to the whole cabin. Putting the bags onto the counter, Beth walked into the cabin further to get a good look after switching on a few lights. A gas fireplace was against the wall by a staircase that led to the bedroom loft, and to the left of her was an arch way that led into a large spacious living/dining room. 

There was a second fireplace in the larger room, but this time was a wooden one. The room was fully furnished, with a large TV in the corner. The couch was a light brown leather pull out, with a few wicker chairs placed through the room. Windows lined the room, to a door that lead back onto the porch; a table to eat outside was set up with several chairs around it. Against one wall was a table with foldable sides, giving the option to seat more than the two seats that was placed with it. Looking through the windows, all Beth was able to see was the dark woods. It looked terrifying almost. Even though she hadn't ventured upstairs yet, she was sure the bedroom was going to be as gorgeous as the rest of the cabin. 

Daryl wasn't far behind her, since he was in awe on how beautiful the place was. He couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, knowing this was the kind of place Beth would want to stay at. It was simple and beautiful, but almost too big for just the blonde to be staying alone. His eyes went to her as she stared out the window, before suddenly turning to him with her blue eyes shining and a wide smile on her face. 

"Stay and have dinner. ‘Least I could do for you drivin' me up here." Beth's smiled looked hopeful as she hurried over to him. Daryl only stared at her speechless by her request; this earned a blush from the blonde. "I apologize how I snapped at you earlier. You are still an asshole to me right now, but you went out of your way to bring me up here. Stay, have a good home cooked meal, and a few beers. I'd understand though if you don' and I can give you gas money or a few beers to take?"

Daryl couldn't help but laugh at the blonde's eagerness for him to stay, before nodding his head to let her know he was agreeing to stay. Beth only smiled as she hurried past him to grab the rest of her things from the truck, only to have him grab her by the arm to stop her as he spoke. "Go ahead and get dinner started, and I'll grab the rest of your bags."

Beth felt the place his hand was touching burn, his touch setting her on fire; she tried everything to not yank away as her body started to crave more from the older man. His blue eyes were on her, intense and filled with many emotions, her own eyes rivaling the intenseness. There was electricity between the two, like a meteor threatening to crash through the world's atmosphere; her atmosphere. Finally breaking away from his gaze, the blonde looked back toward the kitchen; backing away from his touch. She didn't trust that gaze, she didn't trust him trying to break through her world. Daryl must have had the same thoughts as he dropped his hand. Beth looked back toward him, her blue eyes shining as she lightly bit at her bottom lip, a small smile forcing upon her lips. 

"A'right." It was all she could get out when she went to start putting away things and choosing what she was going to cook them. After placing the beer and different bottles of wine and whiskey in the fridge as well, Beth pulled out a bottle of wine, and searched for glasses. Finding a wine glass, the blonde was quick to open the bottle and filled the glass almost to the top. Downing nearly half the glass, the blonde stood there for a moment, taking a breath. 

She didn't realized how much she needed that drink since her truck broke down. That whole day had turned into a very weird day, and it only made the sweet taste of the wine even sweeter. Beth didn't know what she was getting herself into, but as she finished the glass she started to relax. Pouring herself a second glass, the blonde started to pull out items and searching for dishes that were supplied. Daryl had brought in her bags, and had taken them up to the bedroom for her and everything. Beth watched him as he came back down the stairs, looking awkward as if he didn't know what to do. 

"Ya need help?" Daryl asked, as he looked around for something to do. Beth was filling one of the sauce pans with water for the shell noodles she had bought. He caught sight of the bottle of wine that was already half empty, before looking at the young woman; her cheeks were flushed.

"No, no. Just enjoy some beer." Beth waved him off, her voice higher than normal. Daryl only stared at her, before making his way toward the fridge and pulled out a can. He looked over his shoulder, toward her. Before he could ask her what it was she was making, her phone started to go off in her purse. Beth hurried over to the bag, and pulled the phone out of the pocket she had it in. It was Zach. Looking up at Daryl, she started to bite at her bottom lip. "I gotta take this."

"I'm gonna go out for a smoke." Daryl's voice was sharp, as he grabbed another beer from the fridge and stomped out the patio doors. Beth watched him as he flopped into a chair, a smoke already between his lips. 

"Hey." Beth answered the phone once he shut the door. She was suddenly nervous when she hit the answer button. Running fingers through her already falling out braid, she tried her best to hide her intoxication. 

"Hey, sweetie. Did you get there yet?" Zach's cheery voice spoke over the other end. "I was worried when you didn' call."

"Yea yea, I got in not too long ago. Sorry I didn' call. I was just enjoyin' the place so much." Beth lied as she picked up her wine glass to take a sip. Moving back to cooking dinner, Beth kept shooting glances toward the patio; she could see Daryl was now on the phone himself. "I'm just enjoyin' a glass of wine while makin' dinner."

"Already bustin' out the wine. Atta girl." Zach chuckled, causing the blonde to blush.

"Sorry sweetie... I didn' mean to worry you." Beth spoke as she tried her best to keep her attention toward her food and Zach, not the man outside. She was about to try and get off the phone with him, but he had already started to chat with her. 

"She asked me to stay." Daryl muttered into the phone as he inhaled his smoke. He couldn't deny how beautiful it was out on the porch. 

"And you said?" Carol's voice sounded eager over the other end, waiting for him to answer. 

"I'm outside, havin' a beer while she's in there cookin'," Daryl was quiet for a moment as he took another drag of his smoke. "and in there talkin' on the phone with her boyfriend."

"She told you she was with someone, Daryl. You knew that." Carol sighed as he looked over his shoulder. Beth was still on the phone as she took another sip of her wine, throwing some chicken into a skillet. 

"Yea, I know." Daryl sighed as he grabbed his beer. She was right, Beth had made it clear she was with someone new, and Daryl knew she was even more off limits than before. "She's almost a bottle of wine in."

"Goodness. Please tell me that while you're there you're gonna be watchin' her." That was typical Carol. She didn't know Beth, and she still worried for the young blonde's safety. Daryl couldn't help but smile.

"I am." Daryl nodded, even though he knew the woman couldn't see him. "Hey, I gotta make another call. Jus' thought I'd let you know what was goin' on."

"Well, thank you for callin'. Enjoy yourself and don' do anything stupid." the click on from Carol's end indicated the woman had hung up. Daryl sat for a moment, chuckling to himself as he pulled the phone from his ear to dial Tyreese's number. 

"Hey man. I was just talkin' about you," Tyreese's voice was filled with laughter as he answered the phone. Daryl looked over his shoulder once more, seeing the blonde was now hanging up her phone. "You on your way back man?"

"Nah, she invited me to stay for dinner. As her way of sayin' thanks." Daryl replied, as he finished the beer off in time to drop his smoke into the now empty can. "So, I'm out here on the patio, while she's in there cookin'. You get her truck?"

"Yea, yea. Me and Karen just dropped it off. Looks like you are in store for a good weekend." Tyreese chuckled and Daryl couldn't help but blush as he shifted uncomfortably in his chair, opening the second beer he had brought out with him.

"Nah, man. Ain't like that. She has a boyfriend." Daryl took a generous gulp of his drink. Tyreese only chuckled on the other end. "I jus' called to check in on her truck. You and Karen have a good night. Tell her I said hello."

"Will do buddy. You enjoy your weekend with Beth." Tyreese chucked as he hung up before Daryl could argue with him. Standing, Daryl shook his head as he slipped his phone into pocket. He looked over his shoulder toward the doors. He could see through the archway Beth bustling through the kitchen. 

He watched her make her way toward the patio doors, her glass of wine in her hands. She had a relaxed walk to her, clearly showing she was feeling the effects of the alcohol. When she opened the patio door, Daryl watched her as a small smile played on her face. 

"Ya, wanna eat out here on the patio or inside?" Beth asked as she walked further out on the porch. Daryl plaid shirt may have been torn up, but it was thick enough to keep the older man from shivering at the cold. Beth's top, on the other hand, was thinner material, causing the blonde to shiver. Not even the warmth of her buzz was able to keep the cold away. "Never mind. I'll set the table inside." Daryl chuckled at the blonde as she hurried back into the cabin, following her in. She made her way back toward the kitchen, her free hand removing her braid as she walked. "You want another beer?"

"Damn girl, if I didn' know any better I'd say you wanna get me drunk." Daryl replied as he walked over to the couch. He flopped down, as she opened the fridge before he gave her a proper answer. 

She always did this back when they were together; whenever she would get drinks into her, she would always be fetching him beers, even when he didn't need them. It was a funny little quirk of hers, one he loved of hers. Looking over his shoulder, Daryl watched her as she walked over toward him to hand him another beer. The smell coming from the kitchen had met his senses, and his mouth instantly started watering. He knew that smell all too well, it was his favorite for her to make. Lemon garlic chicken, with the smell of her homemade made mac and cheese. It was even her own recipe that she modified from one of her mother's. 

"Dinner's almost ready. If ya wanna help, then best set that table there." Beth's accent was getting thicker, as she went over to finish up cooking. Daryl opened his beer and stood, walking into the kitchen, "I don' know where the plates are. So I guess ya gotta look."

"Ya sure made sure ya found a wine glass though, didn' ya?" Daryl retorted jokingly as he easily found the plates. Grabbing two large plates, he looked through the drawers to find silver ware. Beth only rolled her eyes at him, a light smile on her face. 

The hunter nearly dropped the dishes in his hand when he saw that smile on her face. She had looked so beautiful in that moment and Daryl wanted nothing more than to cup her face in his hands to kiss her. Standing there a moment, the hunter stared at the blonde even after she had looked back toward the stove. Her blonde hair was tangled in a braid down her back; shaking his head, the hunter grabbed his beer and downed it on his way toward the table with the dishes. 

It wasn't long before the food was in their plates, and they had sat down for dinner; switching to whiskey now, along with a glass of water each on Daryl's insistence. Daryl had several beers himself, since Beth kept handing him one every time he emptied one, so he was already feeling a slight effect from the beer. If he was intending to drive that night, he had to cut himself off. Once the two were seated, Daryl had instantly dug in, savoring the taste of her cooking once more. 

"What made you decide to take me up here?" Beth asked as she took a sip of her drink. After the first sip of wine, the blonde had decided that she didn't care if he was there or not. She had no intentions on slowing down at all; she didn't care if she woke up on the couch instead of the bed upstairs. She needed this. 

"Why not?" Daryl shrugged as she stopped mid bite, his blue eyes watching her carefully. Looking back down at his food, Daryl started to shovel food in his mouth. "I ain't gonna jus' leave ya out there. I ain't a dick."

"Well, thank you. Second time you didn' leave me." Beth smiled as she took a bite. Daryl nodded as he continued to enjoy his meal. Daryl took a sip of his whiskey, his eyes looking out the window. 

"After this, I best stop if I gotta drive." Daryl muttered as he sat his glass down to return to his meal. 

"Ya know what," Beth got up and hurried into the kitchen, she came back a few moments later with the whiskey bottle. Pouring more in his glass she smiled sweetly at him. It was clear that it was the alcohol talking, she knew it but she didn't care. "Jus' head home in the mornin'. Ya can give me a ride to one of them car rental places, so I can get a car to drive home. The couch pulls out. Enjoy the night."

Daryl stared at the blonde speechless; had he heard her correctly? Watching her set the whiskey bottle at the table as she sat back down to eat; he must have since his whiskey glass was refilled to almost the brim. He didn't remember her that generous with booze, but should he really be complaining? She was welcoming him to stay with her that night, even if it was him staying on the couch again; what he wouldn't give to be able to wake up to her making coffee again. Like she use to every morning. 

The rest of dinner went well enough, the two easing into casual talk, they avoided the conversation and questions they both desperately wanted to ask. It wasn't long after dinner til the two found themselves outside, with the whiskey bottle, and their glasses filled. Beth had decided to grab her overlarge pull over sweater from her school, so she wouldn't be as cold as she was when she first walked out while cooking dinner. 

"Maggie and Glenn's baby is now how old?" Daryl's words were slightly starting to slur as he went to grab for the bottle. 

"Ten months." Beth said proudly, as she watched the hunter slightly lose his balance as he went to sit back in his chair. A small giggle left her lips as he took a generous gulp of whiskey. "He's the best; so smart and sweet. I spoil and kidnap him whenever I can; he's growing up so fast. I just remember like it was yesterday when I was rushing with the two to the hospital when Maggie was having him. Now we're havin' to chase him down, that little boy knows how to run. Time goes by way to quick and they grow so fast."

"They do." Daryl laughed, as they both suddenly grew quiet to look out on the beautiful view. Beth's father had told her the place he chose would make it feel like she was on a tree top, and he was right. They looked out at the trees that were barely lit by the dim moon, it was gorgeous, Daryl lit a smoke during the silence, it was peaceful out. 

Even with the amount of booze he had already in taken, Daryl's mind was not able to settle itself. This was the nicest she had been to him since he had come back, it was refreshing and he missed it greatly. Enjoying a bottle of whiskey with Beth in the middle of the woods alone was not how he thought his day would have gone when he woke up that morning. It was almost too good to be true. Taking a deep inhale of his smoke, Daryl blew the smoke out. Unaware the blonde was watching him. 

She also didn't think this was how she was ending her evening as well. Beth only assumed she would have been alone and drunk, instead Daryl was there with her. He was the last person in the world that Beth thought she would be sharing this beautiful view with. The hand that was holding his whiskey was relaxed on the armrest, holding onto the glass by the rim; his other hand had his smoke in it as he used his thumb to scratch his forehead. He looked relaxed there with her, like this was supposed to happen. 

"I remember when I taught Sophia to drive." Daryl chuckled, remembering the ordeal. He had nearly lost his mind trying to get her to learn, and a stick shift at that. The young teenage girl was impossible to teach and she had argued with him at every turn. "I tell her to put the car into drive, and somehow stalled the damn truck, and blew something. Damn near killed the girl at one point. She was so damn stubborn, got that from her mom it was clear."

It was only a story that Daryl was sharing with the blonde to make conversation, but Beth had stopped mid drink, her whole body stiffening. The mixture of the alcohol had started to take a turn in a different direction for the blonde. She tried her best to keep calm, as she sat her drink down and grabbed the bottle instead to drink from it. 

"Glad to know you were there for her and helped out her mother in that time." Beth snapped suddenly as she opened the bottle and took a deep swig, not caring if Daryl's face wore confusion. All the resentment for him started to rear its head back, and Beth realized her mistake. She should have never invited him to stay and drink with her, what the hell was she thinking? There was no way she was going to let him drive under the influence that he was in anyway. Standing the young woman stumbled slightly. 

"Whoa whoa. Careful." Daryl tried to help her keep her balance, but she yanked away from him which led to her almost falling onto the table. "You okay, Bethy?"

"Don' fuckin' call me Bethy, you ain't got no right to call me that," Beth snarled as she attempted to step toward the cabin. Daryl twisted in his seat to watch the blonde, her face filled with anger. "I'm gonna go to bed, I expect you gone before I wake up tomorrow. Go back to _Sophia and her mother_. I'm sure they need you around more than I do. I'll just call to have a car brought to me."

"Hey, what the fuck are you goin' about?" Daryl was taken aback by the sudden mood change between them. They were getting along so well that he wasn't expecting her to grow so angry toward him. He stood, and followed the blonde into the cabin; the whiskey bottle clutched in her hand while she made her way toward the stairs, ignoring him purposely. "Bethany Elizabeth Greene!"

The blonde froze when she went to start up the stairs. He watched as her body as she turned toward him, her blue eyes filled with flames of anger. Maybe calling her by her full name wasn't the wisest idea for the hunter, but he knew that this was needed for both of them. It needed to blow up with them to get anywhere. Daryl knew that there was no way around it, and Beth knew this as well. 

"Who in the _**FUCK**_ do you think you fuckin' are?" Beth finally spoke, making her way over toward Daryl; dropping the nearly emptied bottle. Pushing him as hard as she could, Daryl allowed her to do so as tears started to weld in her eyes. "That time spent with her and that woman should have been spent with _me_. You chose them over me! You think I would jus' sit there and let you talk about your little _family_ in Cordele as if it's okay, when it’s not! A family that must have been more important than the family you had here. Hope they fuckin' were worth it."

"Am I there with them now?" Daryl finally retorted back, his own anger starting to boil over. His face was already red from drinking, was now bright red with an anger rivaling Beth's.   
"Am I?! No! I'm here with you. Did I drive back after that phone call that day? You don' know what the fuck you are talking about. You don' know anything about them, so you best leave them the fuck out of this."

"I know enough, Daryl Dixon." Beth spoke lowly as their eyes met the electricity of the anger and sudden sexual tension was shooting off sparks so bad that even the two couldn't ignore the feelings they were getting. Only Beth was too angry to act, she was fighting the angry tears that were threatening to fall. "Was they the reason you left? Are what the women at the diner sayin' actually true?"

"Thought you didn' wanna know." He growled back as Beth took a step back, "But to answer your fucking question, no."

"You know what, you're right, I don' need to know." Beth turned away from him and stalked across the room, grabbing the whiskey bottle from the ground. "I expect you gone before I wake up."

"I'd leave now if I could, that way I don' have to be in a cabin with a bitch." Daryl snapped as the blonde flipped him off from the staircase as she stormed up the stairs. Daryl stared after her with a dirty look on his face as he started to yank the pillows off the couch to pull out the bed, when he was suddenly hit hard with a pillow. Twisting around he was able to catch the second one, and looked in the direction to find Beth storming up the stairs once more, her head tilting back to down the whiskey like its water. Once he was done pulling the bed out, he looked up toward the stairs before muttering, "Fuck her."

Making his way to the kitchen, he yanked the fridge open and instead of taking another beer, he grabbed the Wild Turkey and pulled it out. Opening the top, Daryl took a long swig as he made his way back to the living room. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, the hunter made his way back into the living room; plopping down onto the bed facing the staircase Daryl only sat there seething over what had just happened while taking a big swig of the whiskey, allowing it to burn his throat. He started to wish he had his crossbow with him, but since he was going to a management training course in a city, he wouldn't have had time or the means to go out hunting; if he had it he would have just disappeared into the trees to hunt to get away from her. Only to decide that he didn't want to get away from her, and he didn't want her to get away from him; not this time. 

Beth had downed the rest of the bottle of whiskey the moment she got upstairs, throwing the bottle onto the bed in frustration. She should have grabbed a full bottle. Sighing, Beth shot a dark look toward the stairs that lead her out of the loft room; as if daring him to come charging up those stairs. There was no way that the drunk blonde was going to admit that was what she was wanting him to do. Stumbling back toward her already opened suitcase, she started shuffling through the neatly folded clothes for her pj’s. Yanking out her dark purple plaid bottoms out, Beth tossed it over her shoulder, trying to find a top to wear; doing her best to try and calm herself down. Tears were no longer wanting to come since she was now to the point that she didn't want to cry, she just wanted to punch something. 

Standing, Beth looked over her shoulder once more to see if he had come up without her knowing before pulling her top off, revealing a long chain necklace with her engagement ring on it resting between her breasts. She didn't realize just how drunk she was when she started to have trouble getting her bra off, eventually giving up and throwing back on her dark gray tank top over it. Barely getting her plaid bottoms on, Daryl was suddenly charging up the stairs; one of the whiskey bottles in his hand and annoyance etched over his face. 

"Get the fuck out of my room," Beth yelled as he finally reached the top of the stairs. He stood there, his hands gripping the bottle’s neck so tight it looked like he was going to break the glass. 

"No, we ain't fuckin' done." Daryl growled moving further into the room toward the blonde, his face even redder from continuing to drink mixed with anger. 

"We are fuckin' done! There ain't nothin' to say anymore." Beth dug her nails into her palms as she clenched her fists, fighting to not punch him again. 

"You think so? You don' think I noticed what's on the end of that necklace you were hidin' under your top?" Daryl asked, as he pointed toward the chain that had dipped in into her tank top. "If we are fuckin' done, tell me why you still wear that ring? It may not be on your finger, but ya still wearin' it." 

"Screw you." Beth pushed him, her blue eyes flashing, her own face tinted pink from the drinking. She wasn't about to tell him that she wasn't ready to let it go, how could she, when she wasn't admitting it to herself? "Get the fuck out of my fuckin' room! Get the fuck out of this cabin! I don' care if you have to sleep in your truck, or drive home drunk. Get out!"

"I ain't leavin' til we're done talkin'. You invited me to stay for a fuckin' reason, and we're gonna settle that reason _now_." Daryl advanced toward her more, and Beth stumbled back onto the bed; almost scared of the hunter before her. Her body was starting to light on fire, as she watched him start to assert his dominance, his face gorgeous, even angry and scary. The anger she was feeling toward him was starting to mix with her growing arousal she had been fighting the moment he drove up to her that afternoon. "You wanna know why the fuck I left? Cause what the fuck were you thinkin' barely twenty marrying a piece of shit like me? I have no business to take away your life from you, to have you tied down to me, wastin' your youth with the likes of me? 

"I left cause I wasn' gonna have you regret sacrificing your youth for me. I was so fuckin' selfish that I forgot what was gonna happen ten years from now, twenty?" His words were hitting her hard, especially with the new mixture of emotions in his voice. The anger was mixed with anguish. Beth covered her mouth with her hand, staring at him in shock. "I knew there wasn' gonna be no one else for me, and I was willin' to live the rest of my life without you if that meant you had a real chance to be happy. Merle helped me realize that... And that _woman and daughter_ , yea I heard the fuckin' rumors too, are Carol and Sophia Peletier, Merle's old lady and her daughter.

"They allowed me to stay, even after Merle almost destroyed all of our lives with his selfish addictions." Ignoring the sick feeling that was rising in his stomach as he spoke the next words, "When he fuckin' died, he almost robbed her of every penny she had. So what was I to do?! Jus' let her try and pick up the shambles of the aftermath of my stupid fuckin' brother?" 

The news about Merle, hit the blonde like a stack of bricks, as her eyes widened. Daryl only stood there staring at her as he continued his rant, "I regretted every moment leavin' you, and I wanted to come back, but I was doin' what I thought was right even if it was to help clean up Merle's mess. And then you wrote that book... bringin' back everythin' I was runnin' from... if it weren' for them readin' your stupid book, I wouldn' be here right now. Tryin' to right _my wrong_ instead of his."

Beth didn't know how to respond to him, as she stared at him; her hand lowering down to her chest where the small ring rested. She suddenly felt sober, as she stared up at the hunter who was staring at her, his features were no longer anger but that of sorrow. Looking away from him, she closed her eyes as the tears were starting to form again for the late Dixon brother. Of course Merle would have something to do with it; he had a power over Daryl that not even Beth was able to break. 

"Daryl...” Beth was finally able to find the words, but before she could get anything out, he had closed the distance between them. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her from her sitting position to pull her to him. Snaking that arm around her waist, Daryl cupped her with the other pulling her into a kiss that caught her whole body on fire. It was soft, but passionate with a need for her that she was able to feel deep down to her core.

"I ain't about to let you go again." his voice was soft, filled with emotions that were wrapping around the two, giving them no room to escape. Beth couldn't push him away this time, she didn't want to no matter how hard she tried to tell herself to. "I've gone two years without you... I ain't gonna go another night without you in my arms."

His lips were on hers once more, which the blonde responded as his tongue ran over her bottom lip. The kiss slowly grew in desperation, Daryl's hands starting to rub her sides, his fingertips sending sparks over the sliver of skin that was showing. Finding his way to her hips, Daryl squeezed them as the blonde felt his growing erection pressing through his pants against her stomach. There was a need radiating from the two that only grew more desperate as the kiss continued. 

Their tongues danced slowly as Beth's fingers found their way through his hair, a soft sigh leaving her lips. Pulling from the kiss, Daryl caught her eyes and saw all the anger was replaced with what he had been yearning to see for him since he came back; her needing him as much as he needed her. Grabbing the hem of her tank top, Daryl pulled it over her head only to toss it over his shoulder. Undoing the last of her braid she had, her blonde strands fell free down one of her shoulders. 

Taking a step back the hunter surveyed the way she looked, her body flushed with the mixture of her arousal for him and the lingering effects of the whiskey. This could have easily just been a drunken tryst, but that was not what he wanted for their first time together again. Beth must have not wanted the sudden lack of contact cause she stepped toward him, pulling off the wife beater that the hunter wore. He must have already taken his torn up plaid shirt off before making his way up the stairs to her, which made it easier to undress him. 

Wrapping his arms around her, Daryl yanked her once more against him; their lips crashing together, causing their teeth clank together. Undoing her white bra, Daryl pulled the straps from her shoulders, moving away enough to allow the item fall to the ground. Moving from her lips, the older man placed soft kisses over her jaw line before biting at her exposed neck. Pushing her back against the bed, Daryl laid her down onto the bed, and slipped on top of her, his lips on her already aching nipples. He kissed each taunt bud gently, hovering his lips over her soft skin as he moved back up to look at her face. 

She never looked more beautiful to him, with her blonde hair falling over the bed and her. Her blue eyes were dark and hooded with arousal, as she stared up at him. Running his palm over her stomach, he took his time as he moved it up her body; relearning her more matured body. She was still as soft as he remembered; softer maybe. Just running his hands over her bare skin, would have been enough while running his palm over her breast, just brushing her light pink buds with his fingertips. A small moan left the blonde's lips while his hand finally found its way to her cheek, cupping her once more. 

Running his tongue over her bottom lip, Daryl couldn't stop himself from taking her lips with his once more. He was burning with desire to just have her, without another thought, but that wasn't what he was going to do. He wanted the burn to be slow, having her beg him to make love to her again. Beth responded to the kiss, gripping his hair once more, pushing her tongue between his lips to find his. The thought of stopping this had long gone out the door, replacing with not wanting him to ever stop. 

Breaking the kiss, Daryl moved his head back down to her breast; nipping and licking at her skin as he went, almost burning her skin with every touch of his tongue. Finally reaching her breast again, Daryl didn't waste another moment taking the nipples he had been teasing into his mouth. A gasp left the blonde's lips, arching her back wanting him to not stop. Taking two fingers, Daryl pinched lightly at the nipple his mouth wasn't praising, earning not only another gasp, but a small squeak. A sound he used to love hearing. 

Switching breast, Daryl gave the other same treatment, but he was ready to taste more of her. Propping himself up with one arm, the hunter pulled from her breast so he could look at her beautiful face. The hand that was touching her breast, started doing light circles down her stomach, going quicker than he intended. Running his thumb under the elastic of her bottoms, Daryl watched as her face looked up at him; desperate for him to touch her. 

"I wanna hear you say it... I wanna hear you tell me you want this...” Daryl's voice was low, his thumb running over her skin. Touching his face, feeling the scruff under her hand, Beth smiled softly as she nodded.

"I want you," She couldn't stop the words as they came out, losing control over herself more when his hand slipped into her pants and under her panties. 

The moment Daryl's fingers grazed over her soaked lips, the straining in his pants only had gotten worse. Dipping his middle finger into her slick folds, something inside Daryl snapped and a sudden instinct took over. Pulling his hand suddenly out of her pants, the hunter yanked her pants and panties from her body, almost ripping both in the process. Beth was now laying there before him, completely naked with her engagement ring laying between her breasts. 

Daryl couldn't move suddenly, as his eyes roamed over her beautiful body. He had thought he was never going to see her like this again, but fate had something else in mind. It led him back to her, led him to this moment. A moment he wasn't going to let pass him. Sitting up, Beth moved her hands over his shoulders, her forehead against his. Pushing her back down onto the bed, Daryl's senses were being taken over by the scent of her arousal, his mouth watering to taste her. 

Forgetting about taking his time with her, Daryl was rough as he pulled her legs over his shoulder. Her blonde curls were soaked, as the hunter nuzzled his nose against her, breathing her in. Beth's breathing was already coming out in pants, the feeling of his nose against her lips, her breathing started to become even more labored. Her body screaming to have him do more. 

"You still smell like heaven." Daryl spoke accompanied with a growl, his tongue running slowly down the slit. The moment her taste met his tongue, he wanted more. "Fuck... I forgot how good you taste."

Using his fingers, the hunter opened her lips up more for him as he thrusted his tongue into her, before switching to her clit. Beth didn't bother being quiet, as her moans and string of curses only got louder. She was already growing close to her first orgasm, and Beth's finger dug into the black and gray comforter. Grinding her hips into his face, Daryl clamped his mouth over her overly sensitive nub, sucking hungrily while pushing a single digit into her warm center. Her walls gripped his finger, causing him to groan against her clit. The vibration of his moan sent her over the edge, every muscle in her body tensed as she came. 

Replacing the finger with his tongue, Daryl drank her juices; her cries and the way she soaked his face was almost too much to bare for the hunter. Moving his free hand down to his pants, Daryl was quick to undo them. He was so hard that it was too painful to keep himself still confided in his pants. 

"Daryl...please...” Beth whispered suddenly, her body screaming to have him buried into her. She needed it more than she needed air it felt, her body was on fire as she ached for him. 

Pulling from the feast he was enjoying between her legs, Daryl obliged her as he let her legs fall from his shoulder. Standing, Beth noticed he had already undone his belt and pants so it was easy for him to slip them from his hips. His cock sprang to life as he climbed back onto the bed, finding his way back on top of her. Their eyes met before Daryl took her lips in a loving kiss, rubbing his hard cock against her wet center. 

The contact earned groans from the two, Beth's hips pushing up against him. Moving her free hand down to his hard cock, Beth pumped it slowly; taking the precum leaking from his tip to swirl around with the pad of her thumb. Breaking from the kiss, Daryl let out a low groan, dropping his head back. Her hands were soft against the smooth skin, nothing like his own rough calloused ones he had been used to. Pushing her hand away, Daryl positioned himself at her entrance, no longer able to contain himself. Needing to feel himself in her once more. 

He was in her with one swift fluid motion, a low growl leaving his lips relishing in the feeling of her gripping so tight around him; the small cry that left Beth's lips was nearly too much for him, having him to keep himself still while he fought the urge to cum. Running her nails down his strong biceps Beth stared up toward him with hooded eyes, grinding her hips against his wanting him to keep going. Daryl couldn't stop himself from marveling in how beautiful she looked naked under him, enjoying her squirming under him, a small whine leaving her lips. With a smirk gracing his lips as the hunter's hand found its way to her hair, before taking a hold of a chunk of the blonde tangles; pulling her into a rough kiss, Daryl suddenly pulled completely out only to thrust into her harder than before. Wrapping her legs around Daryl's waist, Beth's tongue battled with his as he thrusted powerfully into her; their moans muffled by their kiss. 

"Fuck, you're still so fuckin' tight..." Daryl growled as he broke the kiss as he moved himself into a kneeling position, unwrapping Beth's legs from around him to push them together to hold over one of his shoulders; lifting her lower half off the bed slightly. Sinking his teeth into her smooth calf, Daryl growled in satisfaction when that earned a yelp from the blonde and a bite mark on her leg. Pushing her legs forward with his chest, Daryl thrusts were able to go deeper into her. 

"Shit!" Beth moaned as she moved her hands over her breast, giving them attention. This earned an even louder growl coming from the man, his eyes glued to her fingers pulling at her taunt nipples. This had become a dream for him, to be inside her again, something he never thought would happen again. Her moans and cries were once a part of his imagination; the way her body moved under him and how at place he felt pushing deep, were once created images in his head. 

Allowing her legs to finally fall back over either side of his hips, Daryl leaned over her moving toward her lips; kissing her passionately. His thrusts were slow but were powerful; Beth's body withered around him, an orgasm rabidly approaching. Her nails raked at his back, her nails grazing his scars that no longer bothered him, her whole body feeling like it was on the brink of a cataclysmic edge. With several more powerful thrusts, Beth's mouth fell open to scream as her whole body shattered into pieces. Her hands gripped his hair as she came around him, clamping even tighter around him. Daryl groaned into her hair as he felt himself still, cumming deep into her; clinging to each other as the rode out their intense orgasms. Beth felt her body twitching as Daryl rolled himself off of her to lay next to her, his own breathing labored as he desperately tried to catch his breath. The only sounds that were heard were their breathing slowly coming back to them, Beth's eyes shut as her whole body still shook from her orgasm. Neither could speak. 

Beth turned onto her side slowly after she was able to move without feeling sensitivity rush through her entire body, her blue eyes still clouded from alcohol and arousal. She still felt very drunk, and it was getting harder to see the older man, whose arm was over his eyes to shield the dull lighting from the room. Feeling her eyes on him, Daryl turned his head so his own blues were watching hers, taking in how flushed she looked; everything he remembered. Trying desperately to wrap her foggy mind over everything that had happened, Beth could only choose to slowly shut her eyes; sleep taking over her quickly. Daryl only gave the blonde a small smile as a soft snore left her lips a few moments later. The hunter watched her as she slept, memorizing everything about that moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well it was the moment you all been waiting for Daryl's reason. :) tell me what you think :)


	11. The Worst of Them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg did you guys hear? I just updated Warm Hearts!!!1 yaya!!!!! Oh wait this is the note xD hahaha hope you lovelies enjoy. I busted my ass on this and its finally out. 
> 
> And thank you to my most amazing Beta for the chapter JazznSmoke. Check this chicka's work out, like seriously. Do it...But after you read and review this ofcourse. hehe <3

The sounds of a terrible electronic beat coming from Daryl's phone brought the hunter from his comfortable slumber next to the sleeping blonde. He had moved them both under the covers before falling asleep himself, so now her body was molded perfectly against him. The phone continued to go off, despite his best efforts to ignore it, taking him out of her arms much to his dismay; not wanting the phone to wake her. 

Moving quickly from the bed to his pants, Daryl fished out his phone from one of the front pockets of the torn faded jeans. Checking the caller ID he saw that it was Sophia, so he was quick to answer in a low murmur as to not disturb Beth. "Hold on."

Tossing a glance over his shoulder toward the sleeping woman behind him, Daryl started to gather his clothes that were thrown about the room. Slipping down the stairs silently nude, Daryl made his way to the living room to dress while taking Sophia's call; worried something might have been wrong. 

"Hey, is everythin' okay? Did somethin' happen?" Daryl asked fighting to keep the worry out of his voice as he started putting on his boxers. "Why you callin' me so early?"

"Mom said you were with her last night." The hunter was able to hear the rolling of eyes in her voice through the receiver. "So, what happened? All Mom knew was that she had invited you to stay for dinner, how was it? Did you guys talk?"

"I'm still here." Daryl muttered buttoning his long sleeve plaid shirt up, his eyes looking up toward the staircase. There was a long silence on the other end, before a small squeal came through almost deafening him. It was as if the teenager had figured something out she shouldn't have, and Daryl started to regret saying anything. 

  _"Are you serious, Uncle Daryl?_ " Her voice mixed with joy, shock, and curiosity. She was making him feel like last night was a good thing, and it was a good thing; a very good thing. Hell, it was the best thing to happen for him in a while, but Sophia brought him back into harsh reality with her next set of questions, "How was it? Was it good? Doesn' she have a boyfriend? Wait, are you her new boy-"

"Calm down, Sophia. Yes, she had a boyfriend and no it's not me. I'm not gonna be discussin' this with you. All you need to know is I was too drunk to drive all the way home." Daryl hissed as he made his way toward Beth's purse to fish out the aspirin she always carried with her. He tried his best to ignore the stabbing in his heart at the fact that she still wasn't his, that the night before didn't change anything. 

"You honestly expect me to believe that you got drunk, and stayed the night without you two-"

"I think it's best you not finish that sentence, girl. Nothin' happened as far as you're concerned, and we ain't gonna discuss anymore of this further." Daryl snapped, though he was happy that she couldn't see the blush that was gracing his cheeks; if she had, she would have never let him live it down. "I had too much to drink is all."

"So, that's the story you're gonna be stickin' to then?" Sophia asked, her voice sounding so much like her mother that it caused Daryl to forget who he was talking to for a moment. He was able to tell she was fighting to not call him out on his bullshit for the second time in minutes. 

"Yes, I am, so now drop it." Daryl retorted as he busied himself with getting the coffee maker started before placing two little white pills on the counter with a glass of water for when she came down. He would have taken them up to her, but he was sure she would have been very unpredictable when she woke. Something he wasn't about to take the chances with.

The smell of coffee started to fill the cabin, making its way up the stairs stirring the sleeping woman. A sharp paid shot through her temples as her eyes slowly started to open while she tried to sit up. Pressing the heel of her palm against her forehead as if it would help relieve the pain, the covers falling off her once she managed to sit up without the need to vomit. Shivering from the cold air of the cabin hitting her skin, Beth's mouth fell open as all the memories of the night before came flooding back to her. Covering her mouth with her hand, Beth looked beside her to find it was empty and Daryl's carelessly thrown clothes were now gone; leaving only her own. 

From the shuffling mixed with the smell of coffee and cooking food, Beth was able to tell Daryl was still there. Her stomach churning even more from her nervousness to face him, not just the remaining alcohol in her system. How was she going to face him? How was she going to face Zach? Most of all how could she not feel as terrible as she should for what they had done? Shouldn't she feel like a terrible person for sleeping with Daryl; drunk. She _was_ a terrible person for not caring that she had cheated on her boyfriend. It shouldn't feel natural to be with Daryl again, she should be feeling guilty not craving his touch all over.

Trying her best to ignore the splitting pain in her head, Beth managed to slip out of bed to her suitcase to fish out new clothes for the day. A wave of disappointment shot through her as she realized that there wasn't a bathroom upstairs, and she was desperate for a shower. Slipping on a fresh pair of panties accompanied by tight yoga leggings with an overly large light green sweater tunic. Not caring to brush her hair to rid of the tangled mess around her shoulders, Beth slowly made her way down the stairs; half way hoping to find no one down there since she wasn't sure if she was ready to face him or anyone else for that matter. 

Stopping at the last step, the blonde noticed that he had set out something for her headache as well as a glass of water. The coffee maker had a fresh pot ready, as well as two plates of scrambled eggs and bagels. The sight of eggs, made the blonde want to vomit, but she managed to fight it back to swallow the two aspirin waiting for her, before finishing off the glass of water in almost one gulp. She knew there was bags under her eyes, and that she looked very hung-over; her punishment for over doing it the night before. The sound of the toilet flushing, caused the blonde to stop her sluggish journey toward the couch. 

"Bathrooms free if you want to use it." Daryl muttered as he walked out to find the blonde just standing there staring at him, her gaze unreadable. He wasn't sure how to react to it, making him already more nervous than he had already been, "Uh, how you feelin'?"

"Like shit." Beth responded as Daryl walked further into the kitchen, his thumb finding its way between his teeth like how he use to. Beth had to fight the smile that was starting to form at his old habit. Daryl nodded, and Beth looked over toward the plate of food. "You made breakfast."

"Yea, good hangover food." Daryl nodded as he started to pull out some mugs, avoiding her gaze; this confused and kind of hurt Beth by the way he was acting. She knew why he was acting that way, she had told him she wanted him gone when she woke up, but instead he stayed and made her breakfast. Daryl Dixon sure knew how to make her feel like a bitch. 

"You wanna eat outside?" Beth asked as Daryl handed her a cup of black coffee, it was very strong, and exactly what the blonde needed. Daryl stared at her for a moment before nodding his head; several emotions running high through his body. Beth grabbed the plates, and balanced them perfectly on her arm as the two made their way out onto the back deck, taking a seat at the table to admire the beautiful winter morning view of the woods. "Thank you."

"No problem," Daryl muttered as he took a seat in one of the green chairs next to her. He was thrown off by how calm she was being, after being unsure how she would react toward him after what happened between them. Taking a sip of his coffee, the hunter watched as the blonde picked at her food; the silence was near border-line awkward as the two busied themselves with their food. "Feelin' any better?"

"A little, my heads still killin' me, but I don' feel like pukin' anymore," Beth responded after swallowing a bite of her bagel; the bread absorbing the remaining alcohol left in her stomach. Giving him a tired smile, even with her head still hurting she was starting to feel better as time went by. "How are you feelin' yourself?"

"Don' get hangovers, don' you remember?" Daryl smirked, wondering if she'll call his bullshit, pressing the mug to his lips, as Beth gave him a look. 

"First new years together, we missed dinner with my family because you decided to take on Shawn and Maggie's challenge to down a full bottle of Fireball in one sitting. You were so sick the next day, it was ridiculous" Beth laughed as she took a small bite of scrambled eggs that melted in her mouth; he sure knew how to cook eggs. "And then when Merle came up for your fortieth. You and him polished two and a half bottles together. Thought I was gonna have to take you two to the hospital cause I didn' enjoy takin' care of two men who tried to see who could get alcohol poisonin' first."

"It wasn' who got alcohol poisonin' first. It was who would pass out first." Daryl corrected her jokingly as he pulled his pack of smokes from his pocket, Beth let out a small giggle. There was another small silence as he pulled a cigarette from the pack; the blonde looked out through the winter sun hitting the trees beautifully, her thoughts going to the late Dixon. 

"How did he die? Merle." Beth asked softly as if not sure if it was okay to ask, but she had to know. It was something she had been wondering, as well as trying to avoid any conversations of the events of the night before. Daryl sat silently for a moment, shifting uncomfortably in his seat taking his time to light his smoke. 

"Overdose." Daryl grunted, his voice mixed with sadness and annoyance. "Found him about ten miles out of Atlanta at this _'friend of his'_. He's been dead a few days before I got there to drag him home. Brought him home like planned, but not how we were hopin'."

"I'm so sorry." Beth's voice was soft as she watched him take a long drag of his smoke, staring out at the forest view avoiding her gaze, his mind on the day that was burned into his memory forever. The memory hurt him too much to think clearly, the day he needed the blonde more than he had ever needed someone in his life to comfort in his mourning.

"His own fuckin' fault. Thought he was invincible, like nothin' can kill him." Daryl looked at Beth to see her eyes filled with sadness and tears. "Always said only person who can kill Merle, was Merle."

"How long ago?" Beth's small hand moved to touch his own, and suddenly Daryl grasped it as he stood. Her blue eyes widened as he looked as her with sadness and pain in his eyes. 

"Six months." Daryl muttered as Beth felt something slip onto her finger. When he took his hand away, Beth gasped when she looked down to find he had placed her ring back on her finger. When had he taken it? It had to of been when she was sleeping. "If you ain't ready to let go of it, do me a favor and wear it right. Took me a long time to save up for it. Thank you for last night, it was one of the best nights I had in a while. I should be gettin' on the road though. Don' worry about callin' for that car rental, already took care of it for ya. They'll be droppin' the car off in the mornin'."

Without another word Daryl started toward the front of the cabin, leaving Beth to stare down at her finger; the small diamond heavy on her finger since she hadn't worn it in a while, but it felt good for it to be there again. Like it was meant for it to be there. The sound of his boots against the wooden deck started to fade brought the blonde back to reality. Snapping her head up to see him stomping his smoke out, looking back to her once more. Her chest ached as she felt a single tear falling down her cheek, was she really going to let him disappear again?

"Daryl!" Beth suddenly called out standing, stopping Daryl from opening his door, only to see her hurrying toward the stairs; her bare feet hitting the wood. Stopping at the top step, Beth stood there with tears streaming down her face. The older man stood there waiting for her to speak, wanting to rush to her to dry away her tears. The next words out of her mouth was almost only a soft whisper. "Don' go.."

"What was that?" Daryl asked, needing her to repeat herself, just to make sure he heard her correctly. His sharp hearing picked up her words, but they sounded so soft he couldn't be too sure.

"Don' go!" Beth spoke louder rushing down the steps toward him, throwing her arms around his neck kissing him passionately. All the progress she made to move on with her life, any thoughts of Zach, as well as all her common sense flew out the door. All she could think about was Daryl and his touch; she was almost desperate for it. 

It took a moment for Daryl to register before allowing himself to let the warmth spread through his body, crushing her body against him. Running his tongue over her bottom lip, Beth opened her mouth slightly allowing his tongue to dance with her own. Twisting her around so she was pinned against the truck door, Daryl growled into the kiss, both starting to catch fire; their hands all over each other. 

Pushing a hand up her overly large sweater, Daryl groaned into the kiss at the touch of her skin, running his finger tips over her soft stomach up to her breast. His pants growing more uncomfortably as his cock only grew harder when he discovered she wasn't wearing a bra, glad she opted out on putting one on. A small gasp left her lips feeling the light brush of the rough fingers over her taut nipple, her own gripping his hair tightly. Grinding his hips into her, Daryl's lips moved from hers to her jaw, kissing and nipping the pale skin down to her neck. 

"Fuck, you feel so good.. such soft skin." The hunter muttered his teeth grazing over her neck, smirking at the small noises she was making. Using his free hand, Daryl pushed his fingers against Beth's tight leggings, the fabric already growing soaked from her arousal only turning him on more. 

"Please..I need you now." Her voice was soft, like a beautiful melody to his ears. "Please Daryl.. fuck me.."

Her pleas were enough for Daryl, moving back to her lips, kissing her passionately. A moan in protest left the blondes lips when his hand moved away from her breast only to have him rip her leggings open, along with her panties, not caring that he had ruined her clothes in the process. 

"Oops." Daryl chuckled into the kiss, her own hands now undoing his pants to push them off his hips, his cock springing free. 

"These were my favorite pants" Beth moaned out with a small laugh, Daryl's hands moving to grip her ass before lifting her up so her legs around wrap around his waist.

"I'll buy you more later." Daryl's words were muffled against her lips, thrusting his hips forward filing her completely; earning a cry from her. She was warm and snug around his cock, her inner walls squeezing him in a delicious way. "Fuck Beth.."

His thrusts were sharp, heartfelt, and powerful; her breathing coming back in soft pants and moans. Pulling away from their kiss, Daryl shoved his face into her neck, nipping at her more as her fingers tightened their grip on his hair. He relished in the feeling of being inside her, thinking he wasn't going to do this again, hoping greatly it wasn't just another fluke like the previous night. This was where he was meant to be, with her, with his Beth. No way was he going to let this go to waste; he wasn't going to screw this up, or take her for granted again. This was his second chance to get his and her lives right again. 

"D..Daryl.." She spoke his name in a breathy moan, trying to push her hips against his, feeling herself already close to the edge; her body wound up tight and begged for release. The way she spoke his name and the way she was so slick and snug was nearly too much for Daryl, fighting to keep his own orgasm at bay. 

His thrusts were getting quick, more frantic almost desperate as the hunter continued to fight back letting go into her, wanting to savor every moment inside her. Daryl's lips had moved from their place against her neck to her own, kissing her passionately, muffling their moans that were growing progressively louder with every thrust. Letting out a small muffled cry Beth clung to him as her orgasm ripped through her small body, ever muscle in her body tightening. A low groan left the hunter's lips, her inner walls clamping around him, milking him as he spilt himself deep into her. The impact of their orgasms almost caused Daryl to lose his balance as he kept her lips against his; allowing the two to come down from their cloud.

Slipping out of her, Daryl gently slid her back down onto her feet; allowing the kiss to come to a slow end. When he opened his eyes, they were met with the familiar blue eyes staring back at him, still heavy from their love making. Looking over her flushed features a sudden smile met his lips to find she was wearing a satisfied smile. The blonde finally loosened her tight grip of his hair, letting her small hands smooth down to his patchy scruff, her eyes shining in a different way. A part of Daryl hoped that she was falling in love with him all over again, just like he had fallen completely in love with her again. 

"Still want me to go?" Daryl joked, being the first to break the small silence between them. He had moved to kiss her again, but had stopped before his lips could brush against hers; challenging her in a way. 

"You still gotta replace my pants." Beth retorted, her own smile turning into a smirk before grabbing his collar to close the distance between their lips. Keeping the kiss innocent Beth pulled away, "Don' ruin the moment."

Daryl didn't need to be told twice, as his hands squeezed her waist before finally breaking away from their embrace. The questions that were pushed to the back of his mind, resurfaced once more; mostly wanting to know what all this meant. Were they together again? Or was this just a very good dream that he never wanted to wake up from? He only hoped the blonde wasn't pulling at him, no matter how much he deserved it for what he had done. His eyes started to wander her body, readjusting himself back into his pants letting his gaze stay longer at the number he had done one her pants; his cock starting to twitch again to see her smooth thighs were covered in a mixture of their juices. Sure he had to buy her a new pair since he guiltlessly ripped the thin material apart, but the look of satisfaction that graced her beautiful features made it well worth it in his eyes. 

"I guess I gotta run and go get you some then." Daryl smirked, pulling her up into his arms in a bridal style, earning a squeal from the young woman. "First, gotta get you out of the cold."

"Daryl!" Beth giggled, her arms wrapping around his neck to hold onto him while he carried her back into the cabin. Taking her to the couch, Beth had finally noticed he had put the pull out bed away, turning it back into the beautiful plush couch. Plopping her onto the soft cushions, Beth kept her grip on his neck taking Daryl down onto the couch with her, both laughing at the silliness. "You're not goin now, are you?"

"Figured get it over with now before it gets too late." Daryl shrugged, kissing the blonde sweetly. "'Less you intend to give me a good reason to go later."

"You reek of sex and whiskey?" Beth giggled before jumping slightly when Daryl's hand found one of her tickle spots, another squeal left her lips. "No tickling!!"

"I think that sweet laugh of yours makes me wanna do this more," His voice was a playful growl, the rough sound vibrating through her body, giving her chills. She fought back playfully with their laughter filling the cabin, just like how they use to once. This continued on for a few more minutes longer before the hunter relented on his attack. "Almost out of smokes anyways."

"You don' need those stinky things." Beth was quick to respond slipping from his grasp, waving her hand in a mock demission, "Go and get them things then. I'm gonna take a shower. Do you need my pants size?"

"Nah, I got it." Daryl didn't want to completely admit that he still remembered all her measurements, though he was positive that she had gone up in her breast size; something he didn't complain about. Beth watched him carefully, amused by the blush he was fighting back. "You're a small or extra small dependin' on how comfortable you wanna be, and how good you want your ass to look."

"Get me comfy." Beth smiled brightly, happy that her sweater covered the rip in her pants and panties so she didn't feel a little silly for not changing right away. The hunter stood from his spot on the couch, and closed the distance between them; his blue eyes glued to her as his rough hands cupped her face. Her own small hands moved to his waist as Daryl kissed her once more. Pulling away, Beth spoke once more. "You wouldn' happen to wanna accompany me out to this bar I saw coming into town tonight?"

"Are you askin' me out?" Daryl teased, his smirk still playfully. 

"Maybe catch dinner before?" Beth ignored his teasing remark, much like she was ignoring the thoughts of Zach that were starting to leak back into her thoughts after pushing them out. "If you don' wanna, I can make us somethin' here and we can jus' drink again here."

"Nah, we can go." Daryl couldn't contain the grin that was lingering behind his smirk, kissing the blonde sweetly with every intention to make up for all the lost kisses. She was asking him out, and to a bar no less; reminding him that she was now over the age of twenty-one. In fact, she wasn't the twenty year old he remembered but a beautiful twenty-two year old that was giving him a second chance, so of course he would jump at a chance to go out with her. "What time you lookin' to go?"

"I was thinkin' we can catch dinner around eight? Making it to the bar probably around nine-thirty? Ten possibly?" Beth looked up at him curiously, her answer turning into more like a question causing the two to chuckle lightly. "Let's jus' see how the day goes, jus' hurry back with my pants."

"I'll be back in twenty." Daryl captured her lips into a quick kiss before making his way to the door; opening it to leave.

"Hey," Beth spoke suddenly, a smile still playing on her face. "Cancel that car rental too. I mean, that’s if you don' mind takin' me home." 

Daryl was silent a moment, his back still facing her before turning to look at her, clearly fighting to contain a smile. Nodding, the older man replied quickly before leaving the blonde standing in the cabin alone. "Alright will do."

Chewing at one of her nails, the blonde made her way up the stairs to the loft bedroom to grab a new set of clothes to change into after her shower; doing her best to keep her mind clear of anything other than the thought of hot water hitting her sore body. The sound of her phone starting to vibrate loudly on the nightstand caused the blonde to stop halfway down the stairs, her heart plummeted knowing full well that it was Zach who was calling. Guilt started to fill her as the blonde made her way back toward the phone, only to see Zach's smiling contact picture staring up at her. Was she going to be able to pull this off? How was she going to tell him that she had cheated on him, and didn't want to hurt him anymore than she already had? She had only three boyfriends in her young life: one who had forced her to leave him, the next one had left her at the altar, and then there was Zach who had done nothing to deserve what she had done and was going to do.

"Hey Zach." Beth tried to keep her voice light, free of any emotion that could cause him to question anything. Shutting her eyes tightly, she took a deep breath, hoping nothing was given away. 

"Hey, baby, been trying to get a hold of you all morning." He sounded overly cheery as he spoke, not seeming to pick up on the nervousness in her voice. This didn't comfort her, it only made her feel even more guilty. 

"I'm sorry, I left my phone up in my room while I had breakfast on the deck. It was so peaceful out that I didn' even think about bringin' my phone with me." She had started to pace slowly through the room, doing her best to not rip her nails off with her teeth. "Didn' wanna ruin how quiet it was."

"That sounds relaxing." Zach chuckled, not making this any easier on the blonde. She wasn't being entirely untruthful, she had left her phone up in her room to not ruin her morning, but not for the reason she had given her boyfriend. "Hope it's not too cold out."

"It ain't that bad." Beth shrugged, taking a deep breath gathering all the courage in her to just get it over with. It was wrong in the first place to have started a relationship with the young man, especially when the young woman knew she would never be able to give him her all. "Listen, Zach, I need to talk to you about somethin'."

"Is everything alright, Beth?" His voice suddenly changed to what sounded like concern along with an unreadable emotion. Beth went to open her mouth to speak, suddenly at a loss for words causing an uncomfortable silence for her. "What is it you wanna talk to me about?"

"You know what, it's nothin'. Not important." Beth spoke suddenly, losing her nerve, pushing the strands of blonde falling from the messy bun behind her ear. "It's not important, jus' was gonna tell you that I'm gonna take a hike here in a few so I won' be havin' my phone with me."

"Are you sure? You sound stressed, sweetie." The blonde couldn't help but notice the unreadable tone in his voice that was mixed heavily with concern. It only caused Beth to want to rush off the phone right then; something wasn't right about this conversation.

"Yea, I'm okay. Jus' not wantin' to lose daylight, ya know?" Standing, Beth shook her head like it would rid her of any guilty thought that was plaguing her. "I'll give you a call later, alright?"

"Alright.." Zach didn't seem to sure of the blonde's words, but accepted them either way. "Oh yea, you still on for that Christmas Party a friend of mine's throwing?"

"Of course! Wouldn' miss it for the world."

"I miss you. I'll talk to you later beautiful."

"Miss you. Bye." She couldn't hit the end call button any quicker, before letting out a frustrated cry. She was in some shit now. "Beth, you fuckin' idiot!"

Tossing her phone carelessly onto the bed, Beth turned away quickly to descend down the stairs to the shower; hoping desperately that a hot shower would help clear her mind of the hole she was digging herself. She should have just gotten if over with, not chicken out like she had, she could've avoided being in this position. The young woman had no intentions on kicking Daryl out of the cabin despite being unable to break it off with Zach. Selfishly playing with his emotion, like a sick game she was playing with herself. This was only going to end in everyone hurt; especially her.

The bathroom was a large beautiful room located on the other side of the kitchen: decorated in the same forest green color like the rest of the house, two beautiful porcelain sinks with their own mirrors, the shower was also a bathtub that had the green shower curtain, and the toilet next to it. The paintings on the walls were of different birds and trees, almost too fancy for the room. Once she had gotten the shower going, Beth was quick to pull off her ruined clothes to slip under the water. The water burned her sensitive skin in a good way, allowing it to wash her thoughts away of any thoughts she had about the situation she had put herself into. This time there was no way for her to blame anyone else but herself, and she completely accepted the blame. 

Scrubbing her body clean of all the sex, dirt, and sweat Beth made quite a point to start drinking the moment she got out of the shower. There was no way for her to be able to be sober and forget about what she was doing to herself, not to mention what she was doing to Zach and Daryl. Daryl. She hadn't thought about what was going to happen now with them after the night before. It wasn't that she didn't want to be with him, everything in her wanted to be with him, but what he had done was still heavy in her thoughts as well. His return had her all twisted around, confusing every emotion and thought in her; her heart and body screaming for him while her brain was trying to hold the voice of reason.

She was at a loss, either way someone was going to get hurt, especially her; it was inevitable so there wasn't really anything for the blonde to be able to do. It was pure selfishness on her part to do this to both men, like having her cake and eating it too. The shower that was meant to clear her head had turned on her, and only caused her thoughts to worsen. 

"Hey, I'm back." There was a knock at the door, taking her from her thoughts as she heard the door open so the hunter could enter with her new pants. "Got you a few pairs, so I don' have to run out and buy another pair when I rip them off you again."

"Oh, stop." Beth forced a giggle out to accompany his chuckle, doing her best to not let on something was wrong. She may have ruined her blissful after sex glow, but she wasn't going to ruin his. He wasn't the one who messed up this time around. "You got one 'rip my clothes off and not get in trouble' card and you already used it, so no more rippin' my clothes off. That's an expensive habit to start."

"Habit my ass." Daryl laughed, the blonde heard rustling from the other side of the curtain knowing full well what he was doing. Moments later, the older man was in the hot shower pulling her into his arms. Beth wouldn't look into his beautiful blue eyes, scared he would be able to uncover all her guilty thoughts. 

She could feel her body starting to respond naturally to the hunter, pressing herself almost instinctually against his strong body; molding perfectly into his form. Feeling the small trails of flames trailing behind his fingertips, it helped clear her mind of the plaguing thoughts; though she still didn't trust herself to look at him. Brushing his lips against her wet blonde hair, Beth snaked her arms around his neck, burying her face into his chest next to the tattooed name. She couldn't stop herself anymore from not touching him, desperate for it after all these years. 

"Somethin's up." Closing her eyes, Beth silently cursed at how well he was still able to pick up on her emotions without her saying anything. It could've been the way her body was still very rigid or how she wouldn't look him in the face. "Everythin' okay?"

"Everythin's wonderful." Beth shook her head, feeling him move so he was now looking into her eyes. Almost instantly Beth threw herself at him, pulling him into a passionate kiss; her tongue running over his bottom lip demanding for entrance. 

It had taken him by surprise, but Daryl was quick to respond to her kiss, allowing her tongue access to his mouth. The kiss was filled with a desperation that he had never felt before from the blonde. Her hands running through his dampening hair then all over his body; earning an eager groan from Daryl. Breaking from the kiss, Beth made sure to avoid his gaze by moving her lips to his jaw nipping at it while her hands moved down his strong flat stomach. Daryl's breathing hitched when she grasped his already straining hard cock in her small hands, stroking him in a teasing manner. 

"God damn..." Daryl was already rock hard from the moment he opened the door to the bathroom, imagining the beautiful woman naked under a hot stream of water. He had to keep himself from taking her against the wall so he could let her keep up with her exploration, very curious to see where she was going with this. 

Taking her time, Beth continued to nip aggressively down his chest, leaving marks trailing down. Her whole body was starting to warm and yearn for him to bury himself deep inside her, but she had other plans then to have him fuck her again. Slipping onto her knees, she chanced a look up toward the hunter to see his eyes were glued on her; watching what she was doing. Only briefly meeting his intense blue eyed gaze, Beth allowed her eyes to drop to his hard member in front of her young face. 

When she ran the tip of her tongue over the bottom of her lip, the blonde couldn't stop herself from giggling when she watched it twitch slightly. Taking it back into her small hand, Beth teasingly pumped it slowly; opening her mouth slightly, the blonde pressed her tongue flat against the tip of his cock earning a low growl. Wrapping her mouth around his cock she started to suck him softly, almost teasing in a way before taking him completely down her throat, gagging slightly at his size since it had been so long. Daryl's head dropped back, already grabbing a fist full of her blonde hair, wanting to start take her mouth only to have her hold his hips still; her nails raking slowly over his skin. Beth wanted to be in control of this, pulling her head back so that only his tip was resting in her mouth once more. Swirling the tip of her tongue around the sensitive head, doing things she remembered he really liked her to do to him, feeling his grip on her hair tighten. 

Groaning loudly, Daryl lifted his head back up so he could watch the blonde, his cock twitching in her eager mouth at the sight of her. He use to fantasize about this when he was alone in the shower, something he missed doing with her when one use to sneak into the shower on the other, so standing there once more as the blonde took her time to take him back into her mouth with every bob of her head. She looked breath taking as he watched her, the water hitting her soft pale skin. It didn't take too long to notice that Beth wouldn't look at him as she did this, unlike how she use to want to keep eye contact with him, her eyes tightly shut. A part of him didn't blame her honestly, there was still a matter of Zach that was still needing to be dealt with; especially when the two hadn't openly talked about what exactly they were doing, but none of those thoughts were able to stay in his mind long when her tongue pressed against the underside of his shaft. 

"Beth…" Daryl gasped, feeling himself get close to the edge, pushing his hips forward into her willing mouth. Allowing him to take control over her mouth, moaning softly feeling his fingers massage her temples; it only turned him on more feeling the vibrations of her moans. 

With one last solid thrust to the back of her throat, the hunter came into her awaiting mouth; his body shaking from the intensity of it. Beth gagged once more, not expecting the amount that came out of him, but she swallowed it eagerly none the less. Pulling his hips back, Daryl hissed slightly when his overly sensitive tip slide past her swollen lips; helping her stand in the process. 

"How was that?" Her voice was slightly hoarse, lightly brushing her lips over his shoulder; still unable to look him in the eyes. She was able to feel him still slightly shaking from the strength of his orgasm, hoping that it was enough to keep him from questioning how she was acting. 

"I forgot how good you were." Daryl answered honestly, cupping her face in his hands to look her in the eyes, making it so the blonde had no choice but to look into his beautiful blue eyes. Even through her lingering arousal, Beth was sure all the guilt and confusion was still prominent behind her own blues. The hunter was able to see every emotion going through her eyes, and only sadly smile as he ran his arms down her arms. "You didn' have to do that, ya know? I wasn' expectin' nothin'."

"I wanted to though." Her hands gripping his biceps when she felt him start to move away from her; trying to give her some space between them, but she wanted him closer to her. Every moment that passed with him there with her only confused her more. Her heart was pulling back toward his, calling out to it, while her brain desperately tried to speak reason to her. She knew full well that doing this she was falling in love with him all over again, as if what he had done never happened.   
"Are you sure you're okay, Beth?" His words stung for some reason, like needles to her heart. It was clear that she wasn't able to hide anything, nor was she able to distract him from him seeing her inner battle. 

"I'm fine. I'm gonna get out and maybe take a nap." Finally able to pull her body away from his touch, Beth tried her best to ignore the emptiness that was filling her. Without another glance, Beth slipped out of the shower; wrapping herself tight into a towel, she grabbed her clothes and exited the shower in a hurry. 

Daryl stood there for a moment, staring at the empty place in front of him where she had been standing. The water was rapidly going cold, so the hunter had to be hasty with the rest of his shower; his thoughts going back to her actions. Her eyes read confusion and guilt, reminding him that she was still with someone else and neither have openly confronted on what they were doing. He felt like an asshole for playing house with another guy's girl, but she was meant to be _his_ girl. When he would back away from her though, not sure what else to do but to give her space, she would grab for him and cling to him like if she let go he would disappear. 

Guilt racked through him at that thought, not blaming her for being that way toward him. They were both playing a dangerous game, Daryl knew that from the moment he agreed to stay for dinner the previous night. Running his fingers through his wet hair, the older man moved so he was directly under the steady flow of the cooling water, trying to make sense of everything that was happening. It was as if the two disappeared into a different world when around each other; especially when they were alone. Even if she didn't have a boyfriend, they were setting themselves for heartache. 

What were they doing? Finding a form of closure for her, while he would only love her more? Or, a part of him hoped, that it was the weekend that fixed what he broke? Shaking his head so that the water was splashing against his hair, deciding it's best to not think too much into it; deciding to just enjoy this however it lasts as he finished up the shower. 

After drying himself off quickly, Daryl silently cursed to himself realizing he had left his bag out in the truck with his clothes in it. Drying his hair the best he could, the hunter slipped into his pants and button up shirt to run back out to his truck. He had wound up over packing for his trip to the training, since he was overly nervous about it, so he knew he had clean clothes for that night. 

Opening the door of the bathroom, he stopped in his tracks when he saw Beth was in the kitchen making a pot of coffee. She had dressed in a pair of the new pants he had just gotten her, with a long sleeve over stretched top with a sleeve falling off her shoulder; her blonde hair in a wet braid down her back. She had a faraway look in her eyes as she stared out the window that overlooked the side of the cabin, chewing on her nail absently, not noticing he was there. 

"Thought you were gonna take a nap." Daryl spoke, watching her turn her gaze toward him before a small embarrassed smile met her young features.

"I originally decided I was gonna get very drunk, but then the idea of a nap sounded even better." Beth replied as she shrugged as she looked back toward him, her eyes meeting his. The smile she was wearing had met her eyes, ridding her of any confusion or guilt. "Then I decided, I wanna enjoy my time in the cabin, and thought coffee, a blanket, and a good movie might be good before we're suppose to get ready for dinner."

Daryl watched her as she hurried to retrieve their coffee mugs from the deck so she could clean them out. Moving through the kitchen to the living room, he had noticed she had dragged the black and grey comforter downstairs and dumped it onto the couch; the tv on with a cord connected to her laptop. Beth had been busying herself with the coffee spoke back up. "So what movie do you wanna watch?"

It was dark after the two finished a second movie, their empty coffee mugs on the coffee table in front of them while Beth was snuggled comfortably into his arms, the comforter wrapped tight around them. Looking over to the clock over the archway, Beth noticed it was nearing six, letting them know they needed to start getting ready to go out. The brief thought about just staying in and drinking there crossed her mind, but Beth rejected the idea quickly since she had planned to go out whether he was there or not. Reluctantly untangling herself from his arms, the blonde climbed over him to get off the couch. 

"what time is it?" Daryl asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes after dozing off and on during the movie. He made a lazy attempt to pull her back onto the couch with him, before giving up to fall asleep. 

"Six, we gotta start gettin' ready to go to dinner." Beth responded already making her way up the stairs to the bedroom. 

"You mean, you gotta get ready." Daryl smirked, his eyes shut fully prepared to take a nap while she got ready. "I can get ready in two minutes."

Beth only rolled her eyes, giggling to herself as she finished going up the stairs. Pulling out her makeup bag, the blonde was able to hear the sliding door to the deck open and close. Daryl must have gone out for a smoke while she got ready, causing her to roll her eyes as she picked out her outfit for the night. Taking her time, Beth used the vanity that was in the bedroom to do her makeup, keeping it to only mascara and eyeliner around her eyes along with a dark red lipstick. It wasn't hard for her to decide what she wanted to wear, choosing to a pair of black skinny jeans and a black long sleeve thermal type top over her dark pink push up bra. 

Pulling her still damp hair from the braid Beth heard footsteps coming up the stairs behind her, causing her to turn to see Daryl making his way up; a beer in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. He smirked as his eyes scanned over her body, checking her out while he made his way toward her. Taking a seat on the side of the bed facing the blonde, the hunter sat there patiently offering her the wine.   
"I want the beer though." Beth teased, earning a playful glare from Daryl, taking the wine happily. She flashed him an innocent grin, taking a swig of the pink liquor noticing that the older man was already dressed. 

His hair was long enough to have most of it pulled back, though random strands fell over his eyes, with a clean dark dress shirt that he had left open and untucked to show a matching tank top; his jeans were torn and faded that fell almost shredded around his dirty boots. He looked gorgeous as he took a generous gulp of his beer, her body instantly responding to him. She liked the longer hair on him; when it was down and unkempt it made him look rugged and wild, even combed and pulled back looked just as good on him. Biting at her bottom lip, Beth went to speak once more when her phone had gone off on the nightstand next to the hunter. 

"It's your _boyfriend_." Daryl growled in distaste, going to hand her the phone so she could answer. Turning back to look at him, Beth's eyes went down to the smiling picture of Zach before looking back up toward Daryl. His face was unreadable while downing the rest of the beer in the bottle. "You best answer it."

Beth took the phone from him, her eyes still glued to the vibrating picture. She knew she should answer his call, create some lie to rush off the phone and ignore him the rest of the night, but instead she allowed the call to go to voicemail. Looking up she had noticed that Daryl was standing in front of her, wearing a look of surprise on his face. Downing the rest of the wine, Beth closed her eyes slowly allowing the warmth to spread through her before opening them once more to look at him. "Nah, I don' think I need to."

Daryl could only stare at her, when his eyes casted down toward her left hand, where her engagement ring continued to lay. He had to remind himself not to get his hopes up too high though, since he did request she wear it right before she was ready to let it go. The look in her eyes spoke something different then what it was saying earlier that day; where she seemed so confused and absent minded, unlike how she was at that moment. There was the look she use to give him when they were first together, as if she was falling in love with him more with every passing moment. Daryl had to continue to remind himself to not get his hopes up. 

Setting the phone down, Beth wrapped her arms around the hunters neck while his own snaked around her waist. She was too deep in the crater she had created in her world, and the help of just that one glass of wine, Beth just pushed Zach completely from her mind; leaving room for only Daryl and their night together. She'll face the consequences when she got home, or called him the next day, but from that moment she didn't care. 

"You wanna 'nother glass?" His voice was rough and raspy, the smell of beer and cigarettes mixing on his breath. On anyone else the smell would have repulsed the blonde, but with the mixing scent of him it was damn near intoxicating. 

"What time is it?" Beth asked, feeling his arms tighten around her. Unhooking one of her arms from his neck, she grabbed her phone to check the time. Eight-fifteen. The two should have left almost thirty minutes ago, but it didn't bother the blonde. She liked the idea of another glass of wine. "Okay, one more, but we gotta get goin' after that."

"Yes ma'am." 

"Ew, Don' call me ma'am." Beth giggled before Daryl kissed her passionately. Pulling from the kiss, Daryl unwrapped his arms from her waist backing away slowly. 

"Whatever you say ma'am."

The restaurant they went to was a small little Italian place by the bar, the inside an attempt at a beautiful mural of a random street in Italy. The food was very delicious, and Beth couldn't get enough of the sweet wine they had offered her; enjoying several glasses with her dinner. Having to lean herself against Daryl as the two headed toward the bar, the two laughed and talked animatedly while taking the short walk to the bar that was close to the restaurant. 

Once at the bar the two went separate ways, Daryl to the bar to buy their drinks and Beth to find them a table in the corner. The place wasn't too packed yet with it still being early so it was easy for Beth to find them a table. Taking a seat at the table, Beth's gaze found him at the bar waiting to order their drinks; looking over his shoulder toward her, an already drunken smirk wearing on his face. 

"I love your ring." A voice spoke up next to her, causing Beth to turn her gaze toward a pretty redhead, sitting at the table next to her. She wore a friendly smile on her face, as she took a sip of her bright blue drink. 

"Thank you." Beth blushed, looking back toward the bar to see Daryl was paying for their drinks. The redhead's gaze followed to see the older man looking back toward Beth. 

"You're one lucky girl." She spoke again, and Beth snapped her gaze back toward the woman. "What some people would give to have someone look at the you the way he does."

"He's not lookin' at me in any special way." Beth responded confused by the strange woman's comment. The woman was clearly intoxicated so the blonde decided to brush off what she was saying. "I mean we ain't together."

"Just friends then?" Before Beth could answer the woman Daryl walked up to the table, setting a glass of whiskey on the rocks. The woman only nodded to the older man before slipping out of her seat and walking away. 

"Who's jus' friends?" Daryl asked Beth while she watched the woman disappear into the growing crown. 

"Nothin'." Beth shook her head and she turned her attention to him, a wide smile on her face as she accepted the glass of whiskey. Her mouth watered at the slight sweet taste of honey, taking another drink of the liquor as the hunter took a seat next to her. His chair moved to be right next to hers. Taking a drink of his own whiskey, he felt her leg brush against his; a DJ starting to play a variety of dance country songs, mixed with southern rock. Nodding her head to the music Beth leaned into Daryl, her long blonde hair draping over her face slightly. "Havin' fun?"

"Of course I am. Why wouldn' I?" Daryl asked looking down toward her from the corner of his eyes. He had spent a good amount of time in bars when he was away from her, but for the first time in a long time he was in the company he wanted to be with the most, so of course he was going to enjoy himself with her. 

"Cause I'm enjoyin' myself too." The blonde responded and Daryl went in for a kiss. Their lips touched briefly, a slight drunken kiss, before pulling away from each other. 

"Shoulda told you sooner, but you look amazin'." His words were low enough so that only she could hear. She had added a scarf with a simple white jacket to help try and keep herself warm. Beth blushed and her smile became more relaxed. The liquor pushing any kind of guilty thoughts out of her mind completely. 

"Why thank you. You don' look too bad yourself tonight." Beth giggled. The two spent a good majority of the night joking and talking about random things. Both took turns going to the bar for more refills before a particular song started to play, and Beth stood. "I'm gonna go dance."

"Why?" Daryl asked, his voice slurring slightly, seeming very confused. He didn't recognize the song, but the blonde clearly did. She only stared at him, before kissing his cheek. 

"Cause I wanna dance. I like this song. Join me if ya dare." She winked toward him, before turning to make her way to the crowded dance floor, leaving Daryl to watch over her from afar. 

_Tonight is bottoms up_   
_throw it on down_   
_Rock this quiet, little country town_   
_Get up_   
_Drop a tailgate on ya truck_   
_Find a keg and fill ya cup up_

Her body was already warm from the alcohol, but as she moved her body to the music she was able to feel the room heat up; especially when she felt Daryl's eyes on her. Swaying her hips, the blonde allowed herself to get lost in the music. Daryl noticed he wasn't the only one who had noticed her on the floor. Looking through the room, he was able to see several other men watching the beautiful blonde as she moved through the music. 

_Kick it on back_   
_Pretty little mama lookin at you like that_   
_Making ya wanna slide on in like "Girl, whats up?"_   
_Yeah tonight is bottoms up_

When Beth flashed a look toward the table that Daryl was sitting at, he was on his feet almost instantly making his way toward the dance floor to her. He didn't want the distance between them anymore, needing her touch more than ever at that moment. He knew full well he was very drunk, but his body was starting to come alive watching her move. His cock twitched when he reached her, yanking her to his body. 

"Knew ya would join." Beth giggled, before letting out a squeal as he spun her around; taking her off the dance floor. "Hey now."

"I ain't gonna dance, and ya ain't gonna give this whole bar a show. If ya gonna move ya hips like that, best be ready to be carried back to the cabin so I can get a private show." Daryl growled, his fingers tangling into her hair, kissing her passionately. She responded into the kiss, her tongue pressing into his mouth. 

"Well, there is more booze back there." Beth giggled, and before she could say anything more the older man was dragging her from the bar to his truck. 

"That settles it." Daryl responded back, pushing her against the passenger door of the truck once they found it. Their hands were everywhere, and it was the blonde who had to pull away to get air. 

"You haven' had too much to drink have ya?" Beth giggled, her words started to slur more. "Drunk drivin' is illegal."

"Then we have a problem." Daryl smirked, opening the passenger door open. "Cause I sure as hell ain't lettin' you drive then. 'Least I won' kill us or the truck on the way back to the cabin."

"Oh quiet you." Beth slapped his chest before slipping into the truck. Daryl hated to admit that he was all too good that he had damn near mastered drunk driving, because it wasn't anything to be proud of; despite getting the two back to the cabin safely. Even with the drunk blonde deciding she wanted to undo his pants. 

The two barely made it into the cabin before they were on each other; lips crashing against each other in a drunken need. Sliding his tongue over her bottom lip, Daryl's hands grabbed at her ass. Opening her mouth slightly, Beth moaned as she jutted her tongue out to meet his, pulling his hair out of the thong he had it tied back with. Gripping onto his hair tightly, their bodies pressed together against the stove in the kitchen. The young woman was able to feel him straining against his jeans against her stomach, her thigh muscles tightening slightly in arousal.

"Get these clothes off of me." Beth moaned, breaking from the kiss while he yanked her jacket off her; the scarf following shortly. Cupping her face, Daryl pressed his lips against hers once more, unable to get enough of her lips. Grinding her hips against his, Beth moaned in desperation for contact, her arousal soaking through her black jeans. 

Pulling from the kiss once more, the hunter yanked her shirt over her head, leaving her in the dark pink bra that earned a low growl from his throat. He undid his pants to relieve some of the pressure against his hard cock, his eyes watching her own, watching what he was doing. Looking back up to him, Beth only twisted around so that she was now pulling him by his pants toward the plush couch.

"And what you think your doin', girl?" Daryl laughed as she stumbled backward, losing her footing suddenly. The hunter was quick to catch her before she hit the ground, a smirk on his lips. "Best watch where yer goin'."

"Was tryin' to get you on that couch." Beth giggled as he pulled her back to her feet. Running his hands over her round bottom, Daryl's eyes scanned down over her flushed face, her eyes half lidded in either arousal or intoxication; he was pretty sure it was a mixture of both though. Going for another kiss, Daryl was suddenly yanked forward by his jeans once more; nearly stumbling himself that time. 

Once to the couch Beth pushed him to sit on the comforter they were using earlier that was lazily thrown over the cushions. The blonde moved to stand in front of him, her hands going to the button of her jeans; her blue eyes now watching him. Kicking off her boots she was wearing, the black denim soon followed leaving her in her bra and a matching pair of panties. Daryl's cock twitched, taking in how she looked to him in that moment. The way her blonde hair fell over her body and face in a sensual manner, her eyes dark with desire for him, the way her skin glowed in the dim lighting of the moon that was shining through the open windows. 

He felt sober in that moment, thinking how she looked like a beautiful goddess he was honored to have, all he was able to see was Beth. Placing her hands on the cushion over his shoulders, the blonde tried to lean forward to kiss him only to have her hand slip and her falling into his chest. A low rumble started to vibrate through his chest as Daryl burst into laughter, amused by her failed attempt at holding herself up, pulling her into his lap. 

"You've got me on the couch, so now the question is, what you gonna do now that you have me here?" Daryl growled into her ear, a hand running over her barely covered bottom. They were both set a blazed with desire, their skin burning where his hands moved over. Beth only responded in a breathy moan, the hunter switching to only his fingertips so he could slip them under the soft pink fabric of her panties; barely grazing over her moist curls in the process. 

He smirked triumphantly watching her eyes shut tight and her hips moving to get him to touch her more; knowing he had derailed whatever she had planned to do to him. Continuing his slow teasing, the older man moved his head so he could catch her lips in a soft but urgent kiss. A soft moan left her lips, her tongue sweeping over his bottom lips, begging for access that Daryl gladly allowed. Her fingers found their way back to his hair, gripping it tightly when his fingers dipped further into her panties. Only lightly brushing over her moistening lips, fighting temptation to dip his fingers into her moist center. Pulling his hand from her panties, Daryl was slow to end the kiss, taking a sudden, different, route then yet another drunken tryst between the two. 

"Mmm Fuck, I love you so much…” Beth froze suddenly at the words that slipped from her mouth before she could stop herself. Daryl froze in his exploration, his heart pounding in excitement; every part of him hoping that it wasn't just a slip of her tongue. Only her body language said differently, from the way her body stiffened uncomfortable to how she started to desperately wiggle away from his grasp. 

It all was finally crashing down, and the blonde couldn't ignore it any longer; her selfishness finally getting to her. Everything about that weekend was wrong, even all the right moments with Daryl. It was all wrong, from when her car broke down to that tensing moment that was transpiring before them. The sudden rejection was starting to dawn on him, when she finally stood; backing slowly from him with a look of regret playing over her features. The alcohol took a different turn for her. 

The room was so silent that they were able to hear their hearts breaking in two. Daryl sat there, watching Beth clumsily try and pull her clothes back on, all words leaving him. The words he wanted to say was that he loved her back and that he was never going to do anything to hurt her ever again, but no matter how fitting the words were for any situation Daryl couldn't muster the courage to say those words. The look of sudden fear stabbing at his broken heart, chipping away more pieces. 

"Get out," Beth finally spoke, tears streaming down her cheeks, all her guilt getting to hard to ignore any longer. She had betrayed Zach, her family, Daryl, and most of all herself. She swore to never let herself fall back into it with him; nor would she ever say those very words to him again. Turning to look away from him, the blonde tired her best to keep her voice and breathing steady. "Just go."

Daryl was glued to his seat, trying to understand the sudden shift in the environment. It was nothing like the previous night, where it was all fueled by booze, anger, and exploding sexual tension. The inner battle raging behind her blue eyes, the one he selfishly helped create, take its toll on the blonde. He should have known better than to play this game with her, but he had been so blinded by getting to be with her again; letting her drown for his own selfish needs. 

"Didn' you hear me?" Her voice was starting to get louder, almost in a form of a snarl, as she struggled with her pants to get them back on. When she finally looked back toward him, her tears had distorted her vision leaving him as nothing but a blur to her. Why wasn't he leaving? She was growing more desperate to have him leave so she could punish herself and hate herself in peace. "Go!"

"What's gotten into you?" Daryl asked, trying his best to stay calm, his chest slightly restricting at seeing her in such shambles. "You bipolar or something now?"

"Fuck you, Dixon." Beth screamed, her shirt inside out from yanking it quickly over her head. He wasn't making this any better with his comment that was for sure. If it wasn't for the booze she wouldn't have been acting this way; if it wasn't for the booze, not helping her raging hormones, she wouldn't have been in as far as she was. "Why couldn' you have jus' kept on drivin' and move on with your life? Was this some ploy this whole time? To get me alone again so you can play with my head and fuck me again? You knew full well that I have a boyfriend, and that still didn' stop you. So just fuckin' leave please."

"Wait a goddamn fuckin' minute." Daryl roared, not about to let her try and put all the blame on him again, standing to his feet no longer able to sit. "Blame your-fuckin'-self for fuckin' around on that asshole you tricked into dating. Some ploy I had? Girl, you knew what the fuck you were doin' invitin' me to stay for dinner, and same fuckin' goes for this mornin' as well, you crazy drunk bitch.”

"And I ain't gonna be no fuckin' dick to leave you stranded on the side of the road. Last time I do anythin' nice for anyone." Daryl took a step closer to the disheveled blonde, not bothering hiding the heartbreak mixing itself in his anger. "And I don' need to fuckin' play with your head or anythin' to fuck you again. You did that yourself. Opening your legs the--"

The sound of the slap rang through the silent cabin, halting the words in his throat. The force of her slap had twisted his head to the side, shocking him for a moment, before turning to see defeat and loathing in her eyes. He knew from the moment the words started leaving his lips that he should had stopped himself. Her drunken over reaction on her feelings for him had hurt him more than the slap, or the punch he had received when they saw each other again; her words hurt and he wanted her to hurt too. Showing her what a selfish asshole he could be. 

"I regret ever getting into that truck with you that night." There was venom in the words, driving the dagger completely in. Her chest stung more when the words leaving her mouth, "I regret ever fallin' in love with you.. And I never want to see you again, you piece of white trash!"

"Fuck you, you little privilege tramp." Daryl no longer cared if he had hurt her with those words; nor that he didn't mean she was a tramp. They had sealed their fate in those moments, with the words. Anger flowed through their veins more than alcohol or blood, neither able to feel the pain in their chests. Charging for the door, the hunter ripped it open, standing long enough to look at her. "Have fun explainin' to the idiot about how good your ex fucked you behind his back."

The door slamming rang in her ears, echoing through the cabin as Beth stood there feeling nothing but numb at that moment. What had she done?


	12. Somewhere With You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love my beta JazznSmoke...shes awesome...read her stuff.

"Glenn?" Beth's voice was low and groggy, lifting her head off the pillow she had been leaning against. After Daryl had left the blonde had stood there, unresponsive at first, before crumbling into a heap on the floor; guilt and anger causing hot tears to fall. She wasn't sure how long she had laid there crying until she was able to get to her phone to call the first person who came to her mind, the only other person she could talk to when she wasn't able to talk to her sister. Her Brother-in Law. 

"What's up, Bethy?" His own voice was tired, after jumping out of bed to gather Sammy and make the drive to his little sister. What was meant to just be a drunken tearful call turned into her begging him to not take the drive, but the older man had not liked the brokenness behind her words; driving to get her anyways. Maggie had been working a late shift at the hospital that she worked at, so he was able to slip out of the house without any questions. There was going to be enough questions from the brunette when she got home that morning, but the Korean would worry about that when the time came. 

"Don' tell Maggie about what happened...” Beth whispered, her tired eyes catching him flash a sad, but disappointed, smile her way. The soft snores could be heard from the backseat of the car, showing Sammy was fast asleep, comforting the blonde in a way. "Please don' tell her."

"You aren't a stupid girl, Beth." Glenn responded, his eyes staying on the road. When he had arrived at the cabin, it nearly tore his heart out to see the young blonde crying drunk; the same young blonde who had become his little sister, and dearest friend. He had never seen her so broken as she was then, making him want to cry and pray that he would never see her like this again. Shooting a glance toward the young woman, Glenn shook his head in disappointment. "What you did though, was, and that is not you. I know you're hurting, and hell if Maggie and I were in the same situation I am sure we would do the same, but that doesn't make it right. You're just causing more misery then there should be."

Beth looked away quickly in shame; feeling like a child being scolded for something they did wrong, feeling worse that it was Glenn who was doing the scolding. "I mean you're twenty-two years old, a little old to be scolded, and trust me I don't want to do this. But this isn't you, or him. I don't know the guy that well, but I know this doesn't sound like either of you. Fuckin' love makes you do stupid fuckin' things."

"I'm sorry...” Beth felt the smallest she had ever been, and he wasn't trying to put her down but the way the events of the past two days had sent her retreating into herself. 

"Don't apologize to me. I think its Zach, _and_ yourself, that you should be apologizing to." Glenn responded with a sigh, getting onto the road that would take them straight into Atlanta. "I won't tell Maggie, I promise. I just hate seeing you like this, you're my little sister, and I can't have my little sister be down. That is also why you are staying with us a while."

"I have plans with Zach Wednesday night." Beth groaned, knowing she couldn't get out of it, nor be able to avoid him forever.

"You're staying with us until Wednesday!" Glenn corrected himself, sending her a joking smile. "You don't have to stay, but a trip alone has proven to be too dangerous for you, so just stay with family."

"Thank you, but I think I'm gonna wanna go home tomorrow. I don' think it's wise for me to be in the same building as Maggie too long before she found out every secret we been hidin' from her."

"Yea, I don't want that to happen. I spent too much on her Christmas gift this year for her to find out so soon." Glenn shook his head, a look of worry gracing his features, only causing Beth to let out a drunken giggle. "I'll take you home in the morning."

"Thank you." Beth smiled, as her brother-in-law patted her knee before putting his hand back onto the wheel. 

"No problem sis." 

***

The feeling of small hands lightly slapping at her face, Beth swatted them away while attempting to hide her face more into the pillow under the tangled mess of blonde. The person had paused a moment, before starting back up lightly slapping at her face; a child's giggle meeting her ears. A groan left her lips, as she tried to open her eyes only to have the light blind her even from under her hair. Pushing the hair from her face, she was met with the smiling face of Sammy and Maggie who was sitting on the coffee table in front of the couch Beth had been sleeping on. 

"So, this sure is a surprise." Maggie spoke, taking a sip of her coffee, giving her sister a look of curiosity mixed with the stern look that both girls inherited from their father. Trying her best to ignore another hangover in two days as she sat up allowing the blanket she was using fall off her. Her hair was a tangled mess around her tired features, making her looks wild and feral. "What brings you to my couch?"

"She just had a bit much to drink, and didn't want to stay by herself." Glenn spoke up from the kitchen, both women turning to look at him. He gave Beth a secret smirk before turning it into a bright smile, bringing the blonde a hot cup of coffee and Sammy his juice cup. "She wanted you, but you were at work."

Beth stared at Glenn in surprise, taking the cup of coffee eagerly. She hadn't had a chance to think of what she was going to say to Maggie when she asked why Beth was sleeping on their couch, but it was clear that he had; the young Greene woman was happy he was trying to keep his promise to her. Maggie eyes darted back and forth between her husband and her sister, trying to find anything that gave away they were lying. Glenn had pulled Sammy into his arms and was giving the small boy his full attention, leaving Beth to be the one to be stared down. 

"I didn' like bein' by myself as I thought I did," Beth nodded agreeing to his story, starting to busy herself with her hot drink. "I had to be out of there today anyways, and I didn't know who else to call."

"Where's your truck?" Maggie asked, watching Glenn make his way to the kitchen to give Sammy breakfast before landing it back on her sister. The question had taken the blonde off guard, scrambling to explain what happened to her truck. 

"It broke down," Beth stuttered out, not about to let her sister pry out what happened. "And I got a ride from a friendly driver. I hadn' gotten to callin' for a rental yet."

"A reply for everythin' it seems." Beth could tell that the older woman was still suspicious as to why Beth had wound up sleeping on her couch. Maggie didn't need to know what had happened with Daryl, she would only make the matters worse before making the matter better. After another minute, Maggie only nodded, standing so that Beth could notice she was still in her nurse scrubs. "If ya'll wanna keep this from me, then okay. But I know you two are hidin' somethin' from me. I know you two better than you like to think. Now, I'm gonna go shower and get ready to go with ya'll. Be good for Sammy to see his grandpappy and mamma."

"Shouldn't she be exhausted?" Beth asked standing to make her way toward her purses, which was placed on the counter the night before, to pull out a few ibuprofens. "I mean she worked a long shift last night, she should be the walkin' dead right about now."

"She's running on reserves right now." Glenn responded as he tried to get Sammy to eat his eggs, he was refusing since he was too excited that his aunt was there. The raven haired boy kept twisting to reach out for Beth, his blue eyes shining accompanied by a small whine. "Sam, I know you want your Aunt Beth, but you gotta eat first buddy. Mommy's going to kill me if I don't get you through at least half the plate."

Suddenly Beth's phone started to vibrate loudly in her purse, indicating she had a call. A part of her suddenly hoped that it would have been Daryl calling her, pulling her phone out quickly to answer; only for her face to fall to see that it was Zach calling. Shit. Beth stared at the phone before letting out a sigh to answer. Glenn had stopped fighting Sammy, leaving both males to watch the blonde. 

"Hey, Zach," Her voice was tired, clearly hung-over, turning from her brother-in-law and nephew’s gaze. 

"Oh, you don' sound too good." There was an unreadable emotion behind his words, nothing like the cheery emotion she was use to receiving when she would answer the phone. This made the blonde nervous as she took a seat back at the couch.

"Yea, I had a little too much fun with the wine last night." Beth mumbled, pressing her coffee drink against her lips.

"Another hangover huh?" Zach laughed, and the blonde couldn't ignore the edge in his voice, as if there was something he had wanted to say, but wouldn't. "I take it you had fun last night?"

"I guess you can say that." Beth shrugged, her chest hurting more than her head did thinking about everything that happened the night before. 

"Well, you must have, since you didn' answer my call or text last night." Beth couldn’t ignore an edge in his voice, clearly sounding annoyed at the blonde. She didn't know how to respond with a lie as to why she wouldn't answer him the night before, without giving away that she was with Daryl. Her fingers went straight to her ring finger to play with the ring; only to find it gone. "You know if you wanted the evening to yourself, you could have at least told me this, babe. I mean I ain't mad or anythin' just wish you would have said, I don't know, something? Then just blowing me off."

"I should have said somethin', I'm sorry. I'll remember that. Hey, listen let me call you right back," Beth didn't give him a moment to reply before she had hit the end call, ready to tear the couch apart for her ring. She had it with her the whole car ride back to Atlanta, remembering playing with it when she was in and out of consciousness. "Glenn.. Have --"

When Beth looked up, Glenn was standing there with a warm smile on his face, his hand outstretched with her ring. Her eyes widened as she rushed over to him, taking it from him anxiously causing the older man to laugh. "Slow down there, Sméagol. I took it off you after you passed out on the couch. I figured you wouldn't want Maggie seeing you wear this after not wanting her to know, so I kinda saved you."

"Thanks." Beth bit at her bottom lip as she slipped the ring back onto her finger, not only because she didn’t have the chain anymore, but because she was going to do as he requested of her and wearing it until she could let it go; and after this weekend, she didn't know when that was going to be anymore. She had managed to change into a long sleeve black flannel top, one where she had stretched the sleeves out from her constant playing with them, the previous night that made hiding the ring easier since she was already playing with them. 

"She's gonna be asleep within thirty minutes of the drive." The raven haired man turned back to clean up the mess that Sammy had made the moment his father walked away. "So you won't have to worry about her grilling you much. A peaceful drive, let's just hope we get there with all of Sammy's clothes not ending up on the side of the highway."

\---------

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Carol pursed her lips as she sat on the edge of her couch, not looking at the completely broken man laying on it. It had scared her and Sophia half to death the night before when Daryl came crashing through their door, drunk and crying. Neither of the women were able to get out of the hunter what had happened to bring him in such a state, they only knew from where he last was that it had something to do with Beth. 

"Nothin' to talk 'bout." Daryl grunted out, his arm pressing over his eyes. He had only stopped crying about ten or fifteen minutes before, and the two had stayed there in silence since. Daryl had never thought he would ever get this worked up over someone, and a woman no less. That must have been the karma for leaving her, to only have a taste of what he used to have before ripping it away with his heart and soul along for the ride. 

"I am sure there is, but if you don' wanna talk about it then it's fine." Carol didn't want to give him that option, but had she tried to make him talk to her, he would retreat more into himself then he already was. He didn't need to close himself off anymore, the older woman didn't want to lose him with Merle as well; Daryl had became a younger brother to her, the closest to real siblings she could get being an only child. Running her fingers through her salt and pepper hair, the woman let out a loud sigh. "You can' close yourself off, Daryl. Not this time. I have never seen you so worked up before, and I can' ignore you hurtin'. I know that if you don' talk about it, it's just gonna eat you up inside."

"What's there to say?" He started to regret driving there in the first place; only getting lucky that he was able to make it to Cordele without being pulled over. "She's gone. Nothin' I say, or talk about is gonna change that. She's just…gone."

"I'm sure she's not _gone_." Carol tried to comfort, but was met with a low growl from the hunter. 

"She's gone." His words were meant to be a warning to not proceed, but it came out more depressed. "She ain't comin' back."

"What are you gonna do then?" Carol decided it wasn't worth trying to press him more, already seeing him disappearing into himself with each passing minute. 

"Move on." Daryl hated the words as they came out of his mouth, he hated more that he had to create some sort of sense back into his life. "Gonna go back to work, and just make something worth these last miserable years."

"Don' talk like that. That’s giving up, not moving on." Carol patted his knee, no longer sure what to say to him.

“Guess I am givin’ up then.”

\----

Nothing would fit right, or looked good for that matter to Beth, with clothes thrown all through her room and the blonde wanting to cry in frustration. She had been dreading this since getting back home that Monday, the party that she had promised Zach she would attend with him. How was she going to pull off seeing him that night without breaking down? It was already hard enough to be around her parents trying to act as if nothing was wrong when all she wanted to do was cry and wish she could take back everything she had said to Daryl that night. 

“Fuck!” Beth’s frustration was getting the best of her after throwing off a light orange maxi dress; her closet now almost completely bare of clothes. “This is bullshit.”

Moving back to her closet she noticed that she only had one dress left in it, a dark red long sleeve baby doll dress. She had never worn the dress before since it still had tags on it, not even remembering when or why she had even bought it. She could only assume it was from one of the many shopping trips that Maggie would take her on; as a way to attempt to keep her mind off everything that had happened. Slipping on the thick warm fabric, the blonde checked herself in the mirror. The dress was the best looking outfit she had tried on, and Beth didn’t want to keep trying things on. Tip-toeing over the clothes thrown around the room; Beth made her way to her dresser to pull out her thick sweater tights, now racing against time until Zach was to pick her up. 

Barely finishing putting a single braid under her straightened hair, Beth’s phone started going off in her room, leaving her staring into the bathroom mirror at her own reflection. She hated the person she saw, hated what she had done, and hated more that she had to face Zach whether she wanted to admit what happened to him or not. Turning to leave the bathroom to meet the young man downstairs when she stopped to look down at her ring, knowing she was going to have to not wear it like she wanted to for the night. 

Reluctantly slipping it off, Beth made her way back into her room to grab her purse and phone; unsure what to do with the ring and not wanting to leave the ring behind. Pulling out a empty mint container from her purse, the blonde slipped the ring inside and slipped it into her purse. Once at the door, she grabbed her coat and scarf from the coat rack. 

“Goin’ out puddin’?” Hershel called from the living room, his bible open in his lap while her mother sat beside him; listening to him read scriptures. 

“Uh, yea, gonna go to a Christmas party with Zach.” Beth nodded, not being able to ignore the look of concern on her parents’ faces. Pushing out a fake smile, the blonde opened the door to leave. 

“You doin’ okay, sweetie?” Annette spoke up before she was able to shut the door behind her; Beth stopped to look at her mother. 

"Yea, Mom. Why wouldn’ I?" Beth forced the biggest smile she could muster, before slipping out of the door. "I'll be home late, so don' worry about stayin' up for me."

Before her parents could reply, the blonde shut the door behind her as she made her way toward Zach's black Charger. There was a cold gust of wind that swept past her, making her wrap her arms tight around her body, picking up her pace to the car. Opening the door, she was met with warmth since Zach had switched on the heater the moment she sat in the passenger's seat. Giving him her brightest smile, it wasn't hard for her to miss him looking over her; taking in how she looked. 

"Well, hello there." Zach smirked, leaning over so he could kiss the blonde. Beth sat there for a moment not wanting to kiss him, but leaned in anyways to catch his lips in a quick kiss. Pulling from her Zach licked his lips as he nodded to himself, leaning back into his seat and putting the car into drive. Speeding down the dirt road the young man glanced toward Beth before speaking, "You hungry? Thought maybe we can grab some dinner before the party. I haven't eaten all day."

"Yea, dinner sounds great." Beth nodded, turning her gaze right to the window, watching the scenery pass by them. The car ride was oddly quiet that night, instead of Zach normally filling the air with pointless chatter, and she couldn't help but notice that he wasn't reaching for her hand like normal either. "Where you wanna eat?"

"Thought we'd go to that diner you used to work at." He only shrugged, not bothering to take his eyes off the road to look at her. Beth frowned by the way he had said 'used', as if she had quit or was fired; neither which was why she wasn't working at the moment. This has only lead to another odd silence, leaving Beth to wonder what was wrong the him. 

The diner was quite busy that night, most of the tables filled with people stopping in for dinner on their way home from work or Christmas shopping, so there was a limited amount of tables to choose from. Leading her to one of the far booths the two took seats across from each other; the odd silence still hanging over them. 

"Hey, how are you two tonight?" Mary-Lynn, the evening waitress, spoke up happily as she stopped in front of their table. "Can I get you guys started on somethin' to drink?"

"We're fine," Zach response was short and sharp, taking both women aback. Mary-Lynn looked over toward Beth, who had given her an apologetic smile only looked down at the menu that was handed to her.

"Water is fine to start with."

"Alright, be right up." The raven haired waitress nodded, giving Beth a sympathetic smile before hurrying off. Looking over to Zach, she had noticed that he was very into what he was looking at on his menu. He wasn't acting like his normal self, and the blonde had to know what was wrong.

"So," Zach spoke, his eyes now looking over the rest of the menu; not once giving her the decency to look at her. "How was your weekend with Daryl?"

"Wh-What?" Beth stuttered out, feeling something restricting her throat, her eyes wide. How did he know about that? Finally looking at her, the young man only laughed bitterly.

"I know you were with him." Zach flopped the menu onto the table, looking the blonde straight in the eyes; holding her guilty gaze. "You know, you aren’t the only one who I know in this town. They just so happen to drive past you and Daryl taking off. At first I wanted to think you were just getting a ride from him, _'She couldn’t possibly do something like that. She's a good Christian girl, with good morals. The kind of girl I can see myself settling down with.'_ I was giving you the benefit of the doubt, trusted you would tell me or that it was only a ride. Then you started to ignore my calls," Mary-Lynn walked up and sat their water in front of them, catching the look of shock and guilt etching over the blonde's face and the look of hurt and anger on his. She only nodded to them, hurrying away, picking up that now was not the time to get their order. "and then when I did get you on the phone, you were acting… _weird._. "

"My truck broke down," Beth responded truthfully, unknowingly searching for an exit; she had put herself in this position, and was foolish for thinking he would never find out, so she had to sit here and face the consequences of her actions. She knew that they were all going to be hurt in the end, and she was hating herself more every passing second that Zach's eyes bore into her. "He was givin' me a ride since no one else would stop."

"So you _fucked_ him the whole weekend to thank him?" The words came out like a slap in the face to Beth, her mouth falling open. She wasn't able to speak, she didn't know what to say to his comment, even though she tried desperately to think of something to say to make him believe that she didn't do anything. Only she couldn't dispute it, since she did sleep with him behind her boyfriend's back. "You can't even deny it happening, Beth! Why the fuck are you dating me in the first place? To make him jealous? To keep from fucking him by fucking someone else? If that was the case, then you did a terrible job at it.”

"I'm sorry…" Beth could barely speak, tears starting to form. She was able to feel eyes of the patrons of the diner were starting to listen to Zach, who's voice was growing louder with every word. "I.. I wasn' tryin' to hurt you.”

" _Wasn't trying to?_ Now if that doesn’t stinks like bullshit, I don't know what does." Zach scoffed, not caring that he was creating a scene or that Beth was now crying. He was able to see the owner of the diner emerging from the back to calm the situation, leading the man to stand. When he spoke next, he wasn't directing anything he said toward her, but toward the rest of the diner. "I want to make an announcement everyone. 

"Beth Greene, the prudish whore that I am currently dating, went off this weekend and fucked her ex-fiancé. She spreads her legs for redneck trash who dumps her by ditching her at the altar." A small cry left Beth's mouth before she could cover her mouth. The look of disgust and anger was like daggers against her, as Zach went to say more; directed to her this time. "You're nothing but a pathetic attention seeking whore. I hope he fuckin' throws you out like the trash you are. "

As the words came out of his mouth Zach's arm was grabbed and was yanked from the booth by Dean; twisting his arm painfully behind the younger mans back, the older man escorted him out of the diner. "Alright, pal, you're out of here. Mar, take Beth to my office."

Mary-Lynn rushed to Beth's side, gently ushering the sobbing blonde out of her seat and to the back. The woman comforted her the best she could as she sat her down into the same chair Beth had sat in the week before, grabbing the tissue to wipe her tears and mascara streaking down her face. Beth tried her best to calm herself, letting everything that happened sink in; he had announced to the whole diner that she had cheated, and it was only a matter of time before the whole thing got back to Daryl. The last thing she needed was Daryl being the center of gossip in this town, and Zach had handed him over with no issues. 

"Get back to work, Mar. I'll take it from here." Dean's voice spoke up, and Mary-Lynn nodded as she hugged Beth tightly. "Bring us some apple pie too. Give Beth extra whip cream."

"Got it." Mary-Lynn hurried out, closing the door behind her. Beth only turned to look at Dean, who's hands were in his front jean pockets watching her with concern. 

"Could you possibly not lecture me on this one, Dean? I know I fucked up already." Beth sighed, her voice didn't sound like her own when she spoke, sniffling slightly. Dean only made his way over to his desk chair and plopped himself down onto it, giving her a sad smile. "I'm a slut, and the whole town gonna know by the mornin'."

"Now, I'm not gonna lecture you, but if you call yourself that again I will." Dean pointed toward her, and Beth looked down, feeling small. "You aren't a slut, Beth. Just a young woman who has made some wrong choices, ones you don't need to be told about since you already know."

"I'm sorry for what happened, I understand if you don' want me back in here." 

"Shut up, Greene." There was a knock at the door before Mary-Lynn entered with two plates of the diner's famous apple pie. Beth's had a scoop of ice cream and extra whip cream on top of hers, "Don' apologize to me, don' apologize to anyone but yourself. You're a smart girl, don' let one mistake haunt you for the rest of your life either."

"Thank you." Beth whispered, grabbing the spoon that was brought with her food. 

***

"Another whishkey please." Daryl slurred, rejecting Tyreese's call, it was the fourth call in twenty minutes and it was starting to annoy the hunter. He had asked Tyreese to let him have the week off and to not be disturbed at all; making a home instead on a barstool at Hatlin's. 

Carol had tried to convince him to just stay with her and Sophia for a while, but Daryl didn’t want to deal with the looks of pity he was getting from both women the morning after he showed up. The looks were enough to make him almost run away from everything, and just live like a wild animal in the woods with just his crossbow. Instead of doing that though he had found himself at Hatlin's the moment he had gotten back into town, and had been there every night since.

Taking a gulp of the freshly filled glass of whiskey, the older man couldn’t stop his thoughts from going to Beth. Even after everything they had said, even through the ashes of their burnt bridge, Daryl had wished he was somewhere with her and not alone in the barstool. Taking another generous gulp, Daryl shut his eyes willing his thoughts to go elsewhere then to the blonde, reminding himself that she was somewhere with her new boyfriend; not thinking of him. 

He didn't want to think about her anymore, he didn't want to hurt anymore, he didn't want to need her. He didn't want to sit there alone, drinking away his life, thinking of the blonde that wrecked his world from the moment he had laid eyes on her. 

"Can I get a rum and coke?" a woman spoke next to him, nearly making the older man jump out of his skin, he had not heard anyone sit down beside him. Turning to glance at the woman, he saw she was a curvy blonde with bright blue eyes and a bright smile that showed off too perfect of teeth. She had on a pair of combat boots with her skinny jeans and black tank top, almost resembling Beth in a way. Turning to look at him, her face changed to a look of interest as she ran her eyes over him. "And another whiskey for this ruggedly handsome man right here.” 

"Nah, thanks." Daryl grunted, and the woman twisted her body so she was looking at him fully, giving him this knowing look. She nodded to the bartended to proceed with her order. 

"You look like you can use it." She spoke, her voice was borderline annoying, and Daryl turned to look away from her. "Man, whoever she is, really messed you up."

"What makes you think there is a _'she'_?" Daryl responded, as the second glass was placed in front of him.

"A handsome older man like yourself nursin' that drink like a heartbroken son-of-a-bitch, yea there is a she."   
The woman smirked, as she took a sip of her own drink before extending her hand. "Bridget."

"Daryl." he didn't take her hand though only turning back to his drink, but he could feel her eyes on him. It made him uncomfortable, wanting to get as far from this woman as possible, but the thoughts of Beth having moved on kept him from fleeing. 

"How did she break your heart?" Bridget asked, leaning her chin on her hand to give him her full attention. Daryl couldn't ignore that she wasn't pretty, and very into him. 

"Does it matter?" 

"Depends on how bad it was." Her hand touched his arm, in an attempt to show she was concerned for him. Daryl only stared at the woman, not answering her. "That bad huh?"

"Ain't none of your business." Daryl responded in a growl, grabbing the drink she had bought him after finishing the one he had already had. "She ain't around anymore, no use to throwin' salt in the wounds."

"That is true." she was persistent in conversation, continuing to insist on buying the rest of his drinks that night, moving closer to him the drunker he got. Bridget didn't bother hiding her obvious advances, whispering things in his ear like she knew a brilliant remedy to help heal his heart. 

At one point, the hunter almost told her to fuck off and leave him alone, but he stopped himself deciding to let her throw herself all over him. She made it clear she was only interested in a night of meaningless sex, one of her hands finding its way over his thigh; squeezing at it gently. Looking down at her hand, he had wished more than anything that it was Beth's hand and not this stranger's. He was drinking to forget about her, but it only made him think about her more. In his head, they were at a beach spending the day in the sun and her in her bikini. 

"You wanna get out of here?" Bridget's breath into his hear, her voice almost hurting his ear. Daryl only stared at his drink, when he felt her grab his crotch. "A night with me will put you right back on the path to movin' on."

"Fuck it, let's go." Daryl downed the rest of his drink, pushing away all of his protesting thoughts, stumbling off the stool. Bridget had squealed happily as she stood as well, before pushing herself against him.

"You won' regret it." She smirked as she lead him out of the bar. Bridget was wrong though. He had regretted it the moment he said yes.


	13. the secret presents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to JazznSmoke and Carolina-not-caroline for all your help through out the chapter. :) you guys are the best.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy.

"Sweetheart, it's time to get up," Annette gently shook her daughter’s shoulder to try and wake her. This had only earned a groan from the blonde, on top of making a lazy attempt to swat the older woman away; the older woman only looked down at her daughter in concern. Christmas was one of Beth's favorite holidays, and had always been the first one up since she could understand what the holiday meant, so it took the eldest Greene woman by surprise when she was the last person to get up. "Your sister is going to be here with Sammy any minute now. You don' wanna miss him seeing all the gifts.”

"Moooom... five more minutes.” Beth grumbled, burying her face into her pillow, not wanting to get up at all. She hadn't been feeling very well lately, all she wanted to do was sleep and do nothing else. 

"Five more minutes... you know lately that's been meaning hours." Annette rubbed at her daughter's shoulder in concern. "You feelin' okay, sweetie? Are you getting sick?"

"I just wanna sleep a little longer." Beth replied, turning her head so she was looking at her mother; completely sure she looked terrible. "I'm okay mama. I think I'm just comin' down with somethin' small."

Pressing the back of her hand against the young woman's forehead, Annette shook her head; choosing to ignore a thought that came across her mind. "I don' feel a fever, but I'll give you that five extra minutes before sending your brother up next."

'I'll be down in a few minutes." The blonde groaned throwing her blanket off her, making her mother smile triumphantly. It was a little mean of her to not let her daughter sleep, but the rest of their family would be there soon. Sammy being the one that was the main focus this Christmas, and the older woman didn't want her daughter to miss his reaction to the presents. "Jus' don' send Shawn up. Please, don' send him up."

"A'right, I'll keep him on his leash then. You know he's gonna wanna drag you down kicking and screamin'." Annette chuckled, making her way out the door before looking back toward the young blonde now sitting up in bed, yawning. There was something going on with the blonde, her mother knew right away. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, Mama. I'm okay." Beth nodded, Kitten jumping onto the bed and curling up onto her lap; pressing herself protectively against her stomach, purring loudly. "I'll be down in a minute. Jus' let me wake up."

Giving her daughter a knowing look, she accepted her answer before she gently shut to door behind her, leaving Beth alone in her room once more. She could feel her hair falling from the high messy bun that she slept with, the black cat in her lap only continuing to purr louder while kneading at crumbled up blanket on her legs. For the last couple of days Kitten would refuse to let the blonde get out of her sight for very long; being by her side more than normal. The cat had even gone as far as growling and almost attacking Shawn the night before when he went to hug Beth. This surprised everyone since the cat was a sweet cat normally. 

"Kitten, I gotta get up." Beth spoke tiredly as she pulled the cat off her lap so she could get up. A small chill whipped through her room at that moment it seemed, making her shiver even in her red thick plaid flannel pants with her stretched out black top. After Hershel had picked her up from the diner, the blonde pulled the ring out of her purse to put it back onto her finger; and that's where it stayed since. 

She accepted that she had gone back more spaces then she was able to move ahead. She didn't know how quick she was going to pick up from to be able to pick herself completely up this time around, but from the way she was feeling she knew it wasn't anytime soon. Moving her tired blue eyes to her desk where his gift was hidden away in one of the drawers.

She had gotten him if the year he had left, having already ordered the gift before the wedding and was unable to return if she had even wanted to. The Christmas right after he had left the blonde had put the beautifully wrapped present out under the tree; as if a part of her was sure he was going to come back. But then a year past, and the blonde decided against putting the present out. It stayed in the back of her closet at the cabin until she had packed it up with the rest of her things when she moved back home. 

A brief thought had crossed her mind to take him the gift, so she didn't have to see or think about it anymore, but she scrapped the thought before it had even completely formed in her mind; knowing it would be too painful to see him. After everything that was said and done, how could she even face him without feeling the guilt of her words to him? 

Daryl hadn't left her thoughts since the last night at the cabin, and the pain in her chest only seemed to have gotten worse with every thought. Every word that was said would run through her mind over and over, bringing tears to her eyes even when she tried her best to keep them from happening. She didn't want to feel this way anymore, wishing more than anything to no longer feel the way she did. To love him even when she shouldn't. 

Grabbing her phone from the nightstand, Beth looked through her unread text. Most were pictures of Sammy with the Rhee family the night before sent by Maggie. She didn't know why she was so desperate to find a text from the hunter, but her eyes still scanned over his old text message thread on her phone. The text were sparse, the only ones he had sent were from well over a month ago. Tapping the screen, she went to type in 'Merry Christmas', but Beth stopped herself. He didn't want to hear from her, the thought brought a new stabbing pain into her chest as she sat the phone back down. 

"It's Christmas, Beth." She whispered to herself, finally getting out of the bed. "Don' let him ruin this for you. Don' let yourself ruin this. Don' ruin this day for Sammy."

Pushing Daryl out of her thoughts, she tried to focus on her nephew and how this day was no longer about the Greene children since they were all adults. It was about Sammy Rhee now, the newest generation of children for the family. Stretching her sore body, the young woman felt a wave of sickness that lead her to rush from the room to the bathroom close to her room. Dry heaving into the toilet, the blonde hoped that no one was able to hear her since she didn’t have time to shut the door. 

There was nothing in her stomach to throw up since she had not felt hungry the night before, instead she just wanted to go back to bed and never get up again. Once Beth was sure that the wave had passed, she straightened herself up to close the door only to find Shawn standing in the doorway; his brown eyes filled with concerned as he looked over his little sister. 

"Bethy, you okay? I was jus' comin' up to check on you." Moving into the bathroom further, he pulled his sister into a tight hug; he had the sudden urge to pull his sister to him and never let her go, feeling a sudden need to protect her from whatever was plaguing her. 

“I'm fine, Shawn. I just comin' down with somethin' I guess.” Beth tried to brush off the look of concern on her older brother's face, returning his hug since he wouldn’t let go of her. Prying herself free from her brother's grip, she moved toward the sink to wash her face and brush her teeth. "Thought I told mama to not send you up."

"Pfft. If I wanna come up stairs to drag my baby sister down, you really think Mama would stop me." Shawn laughed as he backed away from his younger sister. "Especially when that sister hasn' been returning my calls and texts for the last week."

"I haven' really talked to anyone," Beth responded with a mouth full of toothpaste. It was true, she wouldn't respond to many calls or text lately, but what was she to say to people? That she was okay? That the embarrassing scene with Zach in the diner wasn't brothering her? Or that she wasn't nursing a broken heart that she ignored for over two years? 

"Well, I should be different." Shawn pouted, leaning against the door frame while watching his younger sister do everything she could to not look into the mirror before her. This only worried him more that she was so down and lost that she couldn't even stand looking at herself. "I mean I'm your big brother. I am brought to this Earth as the great protector of my sisters, and I feel like I am not doin' my job right seeing you like this."

"I'm fine, don' worry about me." It sounded as if she was trying harder to convince herself than him, which didn't work on her so why would it work on him? Looking at him in the eyes, Beth forced the widest smile she could muster to try and support her assurance. 

"You can say you're fine, but ain't no way will I ever stop worrying for you." Watching her finish up brushing her teeth and washing her face, the older Greene boy swooped her up into his arms; her resistance not registering with him. 

"Shawn!!!!! PUT ME DOWN!" Beth screamed as struggled in her brother's laughing arms as he carried her down the stairs. "Mama!!!"

Annette, who was putting out some of the final gifts around the tree, looked up as the two entered the room while fighting back a laugh. She didn't respond as he sat the blonde gently onto the couch, his laughter only growing harder when Beth tried to punch him as hard as she could. There had been a small smile on Beth's face, something that was very rare those days, giving their mother no reason to scold her son. 

"Oh come on, Bethsters," Shawn laughed, hurrying across the room to avoid another punch from his sister. "You were taking way too long to get down here. You said five minutes to Mama, you took ten."

"Oh shut up, Shawn." Beth pouted as her father appeared next to her with a cup of cocoa for her, a smile gracing his lips. Accepting the hot liquid, she continued to death glare her brother; her black cat hopping onto the couch to take her place on Beth's lap. "Thank you, Daddy."

"You're welcome, Doodlebug." Hershel kissed the top of her head as the front door started to open. 

"Hey, we're here!" Maggie called as the married couple entered the home; Sammy squirming in his mother's arms as his eyes widened at the sight of the presents and trees. 

Once the little boy was on the ground, he hurried further into the room with the tree to inspect everything further. Catching sight of Annette though, the little boy hurried toward his grandmother with his arms wide to be picked up.

"Nama!" He squealed as the older woman pulled him up into his arms. "Pwesents! Pwesents!"

"He hasn't stopped saying that since he heard his cousin's say it last night." Glenn laughed; him and Maggie following the boy into the room. Maggie's eyes went straight toward Beth as she hugged Shawn in hello, the blonde watching as Sammy started to want Hershel, stretching his body out. 

“Hey, Annette, you mind helpin’ me in the kitchen with this Apple Cobbler before we get started?” Maggie spoke as she stared at her sister, who had been sipping on her cocoa with a distant look in her eyes, off in her own world. Staring at the large beautifully decorating Christmas tree, Beth lightly stroked the purring cat’s head. Maggie could see instantly something was different about the young woman, besides the radiating sadness that had been following her lately. 

“Certainly, be right there.” Annette’s eyes followed her step-daughter’s gaze, allowing Sammy go to his grandfather before following Maggie into the kitchen. The young brunette stood waiting at the island counter in the center of the kitchen, eager to speak to the older Greene. 

“Please tell me my eyes are lyin’ to me.” Maggie was quick to start in a hush tone once both women were in the kitchen, looking nervously over her shoulder into the living room. “I must be seein’ things or somethin’.”

“I wish very much that you were, but I see it too.” Annette shook her worriedly, taking the cobbler dish from the younger woman. “Been tryin’ to tell myself that.”

“Maybe it’s only ‘cause she’s depressed over what happened with Zach,” Maggie remembered the large argument that she and Glenn had gotten into after she heard about what had happened from her step-mother; furious that he had kept that information from her as to what happened with Beth at the cabin. Her hazel eyes then widened suddenly at a thought. “I mean, it could either be his… or Daryl’s. Oh bless her heart, ain’t no surprise that she’d be so depressed with this hanging over her head.”

“Oh I pray you are right.” Annette chose to ignore Maggie’s voiced concern, pulling out several mugs out of the cabinet. Everyone was painfully aware of exactly what went on with Beth and Daryl that weekend in the cabin, but they all did their best to avoid the subject; especially around the blonde.

It was impossible now for any member of the Greene clan to do any kind of business in town since the scene in the diner, resulting in them going to different towns for anything. That night at the diner was the most interesting thing that had happened to the town in a while, so it became the top subject of gossip for the residents. Several times Annette had nearly scratched out a woman’s eyes out for comments about her daughter as well as her parenting. Beth was fully aware of everything she had done wrong, accepting the consequences of her actions without a fight. 

“Has she said anything about possibly…?” Maggie glanced nervously into the living room; Sammy has freed himself from Hershel’s grasp and was attempting to grab random gifts to give to Beth so she could open them for him. The little boy was growing more and more impatient and upset when his aunt would tell him not yet. 

“Claimed she might be comin’ down with somethin’.” 

There was a sudden a loud angry cry coming from the other room, causing Maggie to look back out of the kitchen to see Sammy throwing a tantrum. Glenn had a half unwrapped gift in his hands that he had taken from his son, scolding the little boy that it wasn’t nice to open someone else’s gift. Instead of rushing to his mother like he normally would’ve, the toddle hurried over to climb into Beth’s lap; pushing Kitten from her comfortable spot in the process. Beth didn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around her nephew, soothing his tears. 

“Maggie, could you get me the creamer and milk from the fridge, please?” Annette asked, filling each mug with coffee. Nodding her head, Maggie moved toward the refrigerator to get the items she had requested. 

She doesn’ know yet then.” 

“Who doesn’t know what yet?” Glenn couldn’t help but chuckle at the startled look on the two women’s faces as he entered. He had gone in there to help them with whatever they were doing so they could get to opening gifts before Sammy threw another fit, and had caught the two talking quietly about something, something they didn’t want anyone else to hear about. 

“Nothin’.” Maggie spoke quickly, trying to not look guilty toward her husband as he made his way toward her. He eyed her carefully before looking over to Annette, who was giving her full attention on finishing making everyone coffee. 

“Are you talking about how Beth doesn’t know she’s pregnant?” Glenn joked, chuckling to himself until he saw the looks he was now receiving and his eyes widen. “Beth’s pregnant?!”

****

“Where’s Sophia?” Daryl asked with a yawn as he walked into the Peletier’s living room only to find Carol sitting on the couch reading Beth’s book for the second time. “Why the fuck are you readin’ that again?”

“’Cause it’s a good book. And she and Carl are on their way from his father’s. They’ll be here soon.” Carol responded, not looking up from the page she was reading. Making his way toward the kitchen, Daryl took the chance to scratch his ass while she wasn’t looking. “Got an itchy ass?”

“Fuck off. Didn’ she go over there last night to celebrate Christmas with them?” Daryl retorted back, pouring himself a cup of coffee and started drinking it straight black. 

“She did.” Daryl could hear the edge on his best friend’s voice while he made his way back through the living room to go back to his room. He could tell Carol was not happy with her daughter at that moment, and the hunter planned to be very scarce when the salt and peppered woman got ahold of Sophia. 

“She stayed the night?” Daryl stopped half way through the living room, and Carol finally looked at him. She looked exhausted. 

“Carl’s father called last night lettin’ me know she’d be stayin’. He reassured me that he was gonna make sure they slept in separate beds, but I couldn’ sleep last night cause of it.” Shutting the light blue book, Carol rested her forehead against her fingers and the hunter was able to see she was starting to fall asleep. She looked like she had aged over night from staying up worrying about her daughter, despite Mr. Grimes’ reassurance. 

“Get up and go to bed.” Daryl commanded in that moment, he had locked himself away in his room the night before and finished off a large bottle of Wild Turkey before passing out face first on his bed; which was what it took to not dream about Beth and what they had said. Pointing toward the staircase, Daryl stood there as the older woman stared at him in surprise. “When they get here, I’ll wake you.”

“Oh, it’s fine. I wanna be awake when they get here.” Carol shook her head as she looked up toward the younger man. “Thank you though.”

“Jus’ go. You look like shit right now.” Daryl chuckled, receiving the finger from the other woman as she stood to her feet. Stopping right next to him, Carol touched his shoulder with a small sad smile on her face before passing him to go to her room. She wasn’t going to put up much of an argument since she was on the verge of exhaustion. 

Watching her make her way toward her room, Daryl took another gulp of his coffee proceeding back to his own room once he heard Carol’s door shut. It had taken him by surprise to find that the youngest Peletier had not come home the night before, when in all the years he had known the mother and daughter, Sophia had only ever been away from her mother overnight a very small handful of times. When Ed was alive, he would try and send Sophia away for weeks at a time to punish Carol for whatever reason of his choosing making it so that the two never wanted to be apart from each other. It reminded the hunter of how he would be when his mother was still alive; never wanting to be far from her in fear she would disappear. 

Placing the half drank mug onto his desk, Daryl left his door open to listen for Sophia and Carl to get there as he made his way over toward his closet. Pulling out one of his thicker plaid button up, the hunter looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was at the door before pulling off the shirt he had fallen asleep in. Neither Carol or Sophia knew about his scarred up back, something he did not want them to see, so he had to be cautious when changing his shirts in such possible chances of one of the two women would come barging into his room without knocking. Once the shirt was on, Daryl plopped himself onto his bed to pull on his boots; having slept in his torn up jeans the night before. 

Glancing toward his cell phone charging on his bed, Daryl finished lacing up his boots before standing to grab the device. The first thing he had done when he had awoken was check his messages to see if there was a message from her, a part of him hoped that she would come back, to give him a chance to apologize for the things he had said and for everything else. He hadn’t returned any of Ty’s calls until the next day to find out about what had happened with her and Zach in the diner, and he was not sure what feeling to stay with as he heard the story from his friend. He wanted nothing more than to rush to Beth’s side, but he would have been the last person she had wanted to see at that moment he was sure; another feeling was to go find this Zach guy and beat him to a pulp for doing what he did, no matter how at fault Daryl was in the matter himself. The feeling he had finally gone with was a wracking guilt and had chosen to disappear, realizing all the damage he had done by just returning. 

He had apologized to Ty and quit during that phone call, deciding to go back to Cordele for a while until he could decide if he wanted to return at all. Packing whatever he was able to into his truck and had paid for Beth’s truck to be towed to the Peletier home, intending to at least attempted to fix it for her. Daryl originally thought about having it towed back to her father’s farm, but decided to still try and fix it. Unfortunately once he had opened the hood, he realized he had to completely replace the entire engine; causing him to laugh since he had to admit her driving sometimes scared him quite often at times, so it gave no surprise she fucked this thing up. There was no way that he was going to send her back her truck like that, no matter how bad of terms the two were on with each other; a small project he would tell himself when he started to look for parts to rebuild the engine. 

Making his way into the garage, Daryl pressed the switch to open the electronic door so he could watch out for Sophia and Carl. With a lit smoke between his lips, the hunter made his way over toward all his tools were next to the truck engine he was building. Despite it being Beth’s truck, it was the only way to get the young woman off his mind and the last moments around her; allowing him to get engrossed in making the truck runnable once more. Looking up every so often to watch for Sophia’s small truck to drive up, he started to work. 

It was well into the afternoon when the teenagers drove up to the small home, blasting some popular country song bringing Daryl’s attention from his small project. Standing he made his way to the edge of the garage to greet the two getting out of the truck. The couple’s hands were instantly connected as they made their way into the garage to greet Daryl. 

“I didn’ know you’d be up by now.” Sophia sounded surprised to see it was Daryl waiting up for her and not her mother. “Is mom inside?”

“Asleep. Couldn’ sleep at all last night, worryin’ about you.” Daryl muttered as he wiped his hands from all the grease on his fingers. “Sup, Carl?”

“Not much, what you working on?” Carl wasn’t a bad kid as Carol would believe; he had gone through a lot in his younger years like the death of his mother when he was fourteen. He was almost as tall as Daryl, with his long brown hair falling over his face hiding his bright blue eyes. The kid reminded Daryl a lot like himself, despite the polar opposite home lives, and the older man found nothing wrong with him dating Sophia. 

“Rebuildin’ an engine to this thing right here for a friend here.” Daryl patted the side of Beth’s truck, and Sophia only gave him a look. She knew full well why Daryl had the truck, and a part of her couldn’t understand why he would want to fix it for the woman when he had showed up a mess a few weeks prior. She wasn’t sure if Carl was able to hear the sadness in his voice, but she couldn’t miss it. 

“Sweet. You need help?” Carl sounded eager, causing the hunter to laugh. 

“Maybe later.” Daryl shoved the old red rag into his back pocket before following the two into the small home. “You wanna wake your mom or should I?”

“I’ll do it.” Sophia responded as she hurried toward her mother’s room, leaving Carl and Daryl alone. The two men stood in silence, before Daryl decided to make his way into the kitchen to get the two teenagers a glass each of eggnog while getting himself a beer from the fridge. 

“Think I could get a beer?” Carl asked behind him, and Daryl turned to look at him.

“Your dad and Carol would have my hide if I did.” Daryl grunted back, as he handed the young man one of the filled glasses of nog. “And I ain’t lookin’ to get kicked out.”

“But I’ll chug it real fast and no one would know you gave it to me.” Carl tried to press, and Daryl only stood there for a moment thinking. 

“Nah.” Daryl shook his head, as he took a swig of his beer. There was another silence once more while the two continued to wait for Sophia to get her mother up. 

“Um, Daryl.” Carl started slowly, as if something was plaguing his mind. Daryl only turned to look at the young man. “Can I get your advice on some things?”

“Don’ know how good I’ll be, but shoot.” Daryl paid close attention to the young man’s body language, figuring out the question before Carl was able to get it out. 

“Well… Me and Soph—“

“Mom said she’ll be out in a minute.” Sophia called entering into the living room, causing the two men to turn their attention to the young woman, trying to not look guilty when she stopped at the door between the kitchen and living room. “What were you two talkin’ about?”

“Nothin’ baby.” Carl spoke quickly making his way back over toward his girlfriend, pulling her into his arms. Sophia tried hard not to smile as his arms wrapped around her waist, only to fail to keep the widest smiles Daryl had ever seen on the girl. “Jus’ shootin’ the shit with your uncle here.”

“Ain’t her uncle.” Daryl grunted pushing past them, figuring Carl didn’t want to ask while she was around so he dropped the subject. “Jus’ the brother of the stupid idiot her mom dated.”

“Stop arguing with the kids, Daryl.” Carol yawned as she made her way to her normal spot on the couch, her short messy hair even wilder from sleep. “Grab me a beer too, why don’ cha?”

“Ain’t arguing with them.” Daryl grunted again, sitting down on the couch next to her. “Get your own, I jus’ sat down.”

“Oh, Daryl, but please its Christmas.” Carol joked with him as she attempted to bat her lashes at the older man. 

“Yea, Daryl, its Christmas.” Carl laughed and Carol looked over toward the couple who broke apart quickly. 

“You’re not getting a beer, Carl.” Carol said calmly, shaking her head turning back to Daryl, giving him a bright smile. 

“A’right.” Daryl rolled his eyes as he got up from his seat to grab her a beer, as well as grabbing himself another. “We gonna start handin’ out gifts or what?”

“Sophia, sweetie, you wanna start with the gifts.” 

“Mrs. Peletier, I got you somethin’.” Carl made his way over toward the older woman, pulling out a small box from his pockets. Carol stared at him in surprise as Sophia started to hand out the few presents that were under the tree. 

“Thank you, Carl.” Carol smiled accepting the gift from the younger man. 

“Um, Daryl.” Sophia suddenly called out right as he was coming back into the room. He caught sight of a small dark green wrapped gift, and Daryl’s heart dropped. That gift wasn’t supposed to even leave his room; how drunk was he when he had placed the gifts for everyone under the bed? 

“Gimme that.” Daryl growled as he stood to yank it from Sophia’s hands, trying to ignore the look she was giving him. “That wasn’ meant to be out here.”

Everyone was silent as he rushed from the room, feeling like the gift was on fire in his hands and that he couldn’t get to his room fast enough to hide the gift away. He didn’t think about it when he had bought it days earlier, completely intending to hide it away in her truck for her to find one day after he returned it. The last thing he had wanted was for the others to see, not wanting to see them fight to hide the look of pity and sympathy. Taking a deep breath, Daryl opened his closet to shove the gift onto the top shelf; contemplating going back out there or not. 

Dropping down onto his bed, the hunter sat there with his palms pressed against his eyes; doing his best to keep his breathing calmed. He couldn’t stop thinking about what he had said to her, and how much he wanted to apologize for the terrible things he didn’t mean. She clouded his judgment so much that he couldn’t sleep without drinking himself to sleep to not dream about her. One side regretted leaving her more than anything, and another part of him wished he had just stayed away like he had intended to. 

Taking deep long breaths, Daryl fought back whatever tears wanted to fall as he managed to compose himself. It was only a matter of time before Carol or Sophia would be come in search for him, and that was not something he wanted at this moment finally standing to come back out to celebrate with the Peletier’s; even though it should have been the Greene’s family Christmas that he should have been at, with her. He was happy to have a family instead of being on his own, but it wasn’t the family he was meant to be a part of. Putting on his best face, the hunter walked back into the living room, where everyone was sitting there waiting for him to come back. 

“Uh, Sorry about that.” Daryl managed to mutter out before sitting back on the couch next to Carol, keeping his eyes down so he didn’t have to see if they were looking at him. “Got all the gifts sorted out?”

“Yea, open my gift first, Uncle Daryl!” Sophia sounded excited causing him to look up and see no pity or sympathy, just genuine happiness of having him there. She was trying to help the situation by avoiding any insecurities that he was having at that moment. 

“A’right.” Daryl smiled as he grabbed the metallic pink wrapped present since it was the one she was pointing toward. 

*****

“Look at him. He’s passed out.” Maggie giggled, as she leaned her head onto Glenn’s shoulder. They had just finished opening all the gifts, since the adults all waited for Sammy to finish opening his gifts. That had been a very long process, since the little boy wanted to open and play with every gift he had gotten. Sammy had long fallen asleep in the middle of playing with all his new building blocks, on top of a passed out Shawn who was suckered into playing with him. “He looks so handsome.”

“Which one? Shawn or Sammy?” Glenn retorted back with a small laugh, that everyone who was still in the room shared. Beth was looking off into space once more, clearly not all the way there, looking like she was ready to fall asleep at any moment. Maggie took notice to it. 

“Oh, Shawn of course.” Maggie responded sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She looked over toward Beth, who was trying to draw her legs closer into her body. “Beth, you okay sweetie?”

“Yea, I’m fine. Jus’ a little tired is all.” Beth responded forcing a weak smile to her sister, sitting up to seem more attentive. Annette had made her way into the kitchen to start getting dinner prepared, sending this delicious aroma throughout the home. Almost instantly Beth breathed in the smell, but instead of her mouthwatering like it normally would it turned her stomach. Turning her head into the back of the couch cushion, as if she was just trying to get away from the smell. 

“You sure you’re okay, Bethy?” Glenn asked looking over toward her worried. 

“Think, I’m comin’ down with something is all.” Beth turned to look at her brother-in-law with a weak smile, getting up to retreat somewhere away from whatever her mother was cooking. “I’m gonna lie down until dinners ready.”

“Alright.” Maggie responded as she watched Beth rush upstairs, slamming one of the doors shut. The brunette wasn’t sure if it was the bedroom or bathroom door, but she wasn’t sure. Looking over toward her husband, she couldn’t stop herself. “I can’ believe she’s pregnant.”

“We don’ know she’s pregnant, Mag.” Glenn responded his eyes still on his sleeping son having a snoring contest with his uncle. 

“How can you not know? I can tell from a mile away.” Maggie tried to argue back, shaking her head. “I mean, does she even know which guy is possibly the father.”

“Maggie, even if she was pregnant, she would know who the father was. I mean I know.” Glenn froze suddenly not having to look at his wife to be able to tell she was staring at him in shock. She was not aware that her husband was keeping that kind of information from her. How would he know?

“And exactly how do you know this information?” She asked with an interested tone. 

“She told me.”

“ _She told you?_ Exactly when did she tell you?”

“Why does it matter?” Glenn looked at his wife confused, not exactly sure why she was getting all worked up over this information. He didn’t feel the need to tell Maggie that bit of information. 

“Who is it?”

“Maggie, you are freaking out over the possibility of Beth being pregnant. She hasn’t even taken a test to confirm she is pregnant.” Glenn sighed shaking his head. “I mean if she is, then she will tell you who the father is. ‘Til then I am not sure if it’s any of your business.”

Maggie only stared at him in shock, and Glenn took a deep breath ready to take whatever his wife had ready for him. Beth had only told him in complete confidence, and he may have had a big mouth on him, but he knew now what to disclose and what not to disclose. 

***

“Is it cool to talk?” Carl asked nervously as he slipped out into the garage, turning to look over his shoulder toward the eighteen year old. The young man seemed almost nervous, making his way closer toward the work bench Daryl was currently at. Twisting around in the stool he was sitting on, Daryl slipped a smoke into his mouth, using a match to light his smoke; he could do for a break. 

“If you want.” He shrugged, pulling the cigarette from his mouth to blow the smoke out. “What ya need to talk about kid?”

“Sex.”

Daryl wished he hadn’t taken another drag, even though he knew exactly what the young man was going to ask him, causing him to cough. After a minute of coughing out all the smoke, Daryl managed to clear his throat before looking back to Carl. He didn’t think he would ever come to moment with anyone before. 

“What about it?” Daryl’s eyes darting around looking for an exit, not looking forward to this conversation. 

“I wanna have it…with Sophia…” Carl braced himself for Daryl to get all angry and in his face, but instead was met with complete bewilderment. Looking away from the teenager, Daryl started to take a deep nervous drag of his smoke. 

“A’right. Why aren’t you askin’ your dad?” Daryl asked finishing his smoke, grabbing another in the process. 

“To be honest? I don’t really feel comfortable askin’ him. He’s been different since my mom died, and I thought about asking my uncle Shane, but he’ll tell my dad.” Carl started to ramble, slipping his hands into his front pockets. “I don’t want my friends to know that I am… a virgin.”

“Well,” Daryl coughed again nervously, going onto his thirst smoke. He agreed to this, he couldn’t get out of it. “you… you two sure you’re ready?”

“I love her, and I think I’m ready. I looked up stuff on the internet, but I need advice from an actual guy.” Carl kicked around invisible dirt in front of her. “We were talkin’ last night, and she says she’s ready too.

“I know you’re like her uncle, and you were there for her for the last few years, and I don’t know, I feel that you get me better than most people. So I wanted to ask you for advice.”

Putting out the third smoke, Daryl started to fidget with all the different tools on the bench, his fourth smoke already gracing his lips. He hadn’t chained smoke this much in a while; the whole conversation was making him extremely nervous. “What do you need to know?”

When Carl didn’t answer, Daryl took a chance to look over to the young man. He looked like a deer in headlights, clearly wracking his brain to think of the right question, and the hunter took another deep drag of his smoke. 

“Do you have condoms?” Daryl asked, having no clue how to give him good advice. 

“No?”

“Get them, it only takes once.” Daryl wished desperately he had a beer with him now in this moment, physically twitching nervously. “And, um… make sure she is ready… and well, make sure you get the right hole. Fuck, I ain’t good at this shit. Sorry kid.”

“It’s cool. I mean at least you tried.” Carl nodded before an awkward silence fell over the two. Daryl looking back over toward his work, wanting to disappear, but it was Carl who broke the silence. “So, what are you workin’ on there?”

“Just a part of the engine for that friend. You wanna help?”


	14. The Truth Comes Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First let me thank Jazznsmoke, Carolina-not-caroline, and my friend Christy for all their help. :)
> 
> I hope you enjoy!!!

Wiping her mouth with a piece of toilet tissue, Beth flushed her sick down for what felt like the hundredth time that day. It seemed that everything had been making her sick lately, certain smells and tastes would turn her stomach causing her to rush toward the bathroom every few minutes. Trying her best to ignore a lingering thought that was floating around in her head, the blonde moved toward the sink to grab her toothbrush. She had been praying and praying that what she had come down with a stomach flu or something, not wanting to read all the signs that were slapping her in the face for a while. 

“Beth? Sweetie, you okay?” Annette knocked softly at the door, her voice filled with worry. Opening the door, Beth continued to brush her teeth as she allowed her mother to see that she’s okay. 

“Yea, I’m fine mom. That stupid stomach flu is still kickin’ my butt.” Beth tried to reassure her mother for the millionth time, spitting out the tooth paste. The older woman crossed her arms as she stared at her daughter not believing her. “What?”

“Beth, are you pregnant?” her mother asked blatantly, and Beth was quick to shake her head pushing past her mother back toward her room. 

“What? No, mom. I’m not pregnant.” The blonde responded hurrying into her room, knowing her mother was following her. “What makes you think I’m pregnant?”

“Well, seein’ as you’re my daughter and that I have had two children, gee I don’ know.” Annette responded sarcastically and Beth only twisted around to give her mother a look. 

“I am not pregnant. You don’ need to worry.” 

“I’m your mother, I am supposed to worry.” Annette moved further into the room to sit on her daughter’s bed as Beth bustled around the room, doing everything she possibly could to not to look over toward her mother. She didn’t want to admit that her mother had asked the question that was playing through her mind for the past few weeks. “Especially when my daughter is unwedded and not with the father.”

“There is no baby for there to be a father to, Mama.” Beth growled out, trying her best to stay calm. She wasn’t wanting to have that conversation with her mother any longer, deciding to be stubborn then listen to her mother. 

“Keep on tellin’ yourself that, Bethany Elizabeth,” Annette shook her head as she stood, knowing this argument was not going to go anywhere with how stubborn her daughter was. Exactly like her father when it comes to getting things through her head sometimes. “And as a good mother, I will refrain from tellin’ you I told you so when you find out.”

Beth only shot her mother an annoyed look, watching her exit the room, holding a t-shirt she had picked up from the ground. Flinging it across the room, Beth flopped down onto her desk chair, staring at the open door. She wanted nothing more than to slip back into bed and never get back out, sleeping until she couldn’t anymore. Rubbing her stomach, the blonde closed her eyes to push back the sudden tears wanting to fall. 

***

Hershel slowly made his way up the steps into the house, his knee hurting more than usual that day causing the eldest Greene to stop in the middle of his chores around the farm to go inside and rest for a while. Closing the door behind him, the older man was able to hear soft humming coming from the kitchen; Annette had gone up state for the evening to visit with her sister, but Hershel knew that it was his youngest daughter just by the soft beautiful tune she was humming. Making his way into the kitchen, he was surprised to see that the young blonde was sitting at the island with an open can of green beans right next to a book she had open, the end of a fork sticking out of the can. He was able to see a white string coming from one of her ears, letting her father know she was humming to her music. 

“You hate green beans.” Hershel spoke after a moment, causing her to look at him in surprise. Pulling the earbud from her ear, she blushed as she closed her book and paused her music. “No, no; you don’ have to stop doin’ what you’re doin’ cause I walked in.”

“I’ve been stuck on the same page for the last ten minutes. Mostly only been listenin’ to music.” Beth choose to not respond to her father’s observation of the can of vegetables she had been eating out of. She did hate green beans, one of the few vegetables that she disliked, but she hadn’t been able to get them off her mind since she left the diner earlier that day. 

Beth was tired of sulking around the house, visiting the restroom constantly to empty the little content she had in her stomach, and the constant sleeping so she decided she wanted to go back to work. She wasn’t taking good care of herself, and she blamed her upset stomach on it; wanting to finally pick herself back up again and hold her head high as she moved on. So it was a small victory for the blonde to be able to hold back wanting to run away as she walked proudly into the small diner to tell Dean she was ready to go back to work. 

It was the best she had felt in weeks as she had nearly danced back into the home, being scheduled as early as the next week to start as the new graveyard shift waitress; but he gave her weekends off as compromise. The blonde didn’t care though, she was just happy he would accept her back after a long absence and rewarded herself by indulging in this new craving she had. 

“You look beautiful today, has anyone let you know that today?” Hershel smiled as he kissed his daughter’s head, not wanting to throw accusations toward the blonde like her mother had. He didn’t need to be told what was happening with the blonde, he was able to see it six ways to Sunday, but he wasn’t going to stress her out more; she’d acknowledge it when she was ready. Blushing brightly, Beth looked down at her can of green beans shaking her head. “Well, they shoulda, I mean, you’re glowin’ today.”

“Thank, Daddy.” Beth blushed brightly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, before looking at her father with sudden concern. “You alright daddy? You’re never inside around this time?”

“I’m fine, jus’ my knee’s been hurtin’ a little more lately. Gonna take a break from the chores for a while,” Hershel took a seat next to his daughter, “Might even call Otis to finish up the chores for me. Hate to bother him though, poor man hasn’ had a day with jus’ Patricia in a while.”

“I can finish the chores for you daddy, jus’ tell me what needs to be done.” The blonde went to jump up to help her father with the rest of his chores; feeling terrible for not helping out more around the farm. Touching her hand, Hershel was able to stop her from standing and remain sitting.

“Now, that’s not necessary, sweetheart.” Her father chuckled softly, deciding to take her hand in both of his; the ring still placed neatly on her finger. Something she couldn’t take off. “Why don’ you and me spend the afternoon together? You disappeared on us for a while there, so I will not take no for an answer.”

“Alright daddy,” Beth let out a small giggle, a genuine wide smile playing over her young features. It warmed Hershel’s heart to see that smile again, and could only hope that smile doesn’t go away again. 

***

“I got a Baconnator special with triple bacon and a double side of fries,” The overnight cook gave Beth a kind smile, a he slid the plate across the order counter. The sight and smell of it nearly caused the blonde to rush to the bathroom, but she was able to compose herself luckily to take the very overweight man his meal. 

“Here’s your meal, Gus, would you like a refill of your coffee?” Beth asked sweetly, setting his food down in front of him. 

“Nah, Beth, thanks though.” The gentlemen smiled as he dug into his heart-attack meal, letting the blonde retreat as far as she could from the man and his meal. Once out of sight of the patron in the diner, Beth started to try to adjust her bra to feel more comfortable over her uniform; she had been bursting through her bras, having gone up quite a bit in her breast, hinting she needed to get new ones. 

“Take a break, Greene,” Dean called out as he entered from the back door, catching her looking like she was ready to fall asleep where she was standing. Jumping at the sudden sound of her boss’s voice, she was surprised to see he held out a Styrofoam cup toward the blonde. “Peppermint tea. Sit and enjoy it.”

“I have a customer out there.” Beth pointed behind her, indicating Gus. Dean only stood there staring at her. 

“Which I will finish taking care of, and will bring you the tip he leaves.” Dean rolled his eyes a handsome smile gracing his young looking features. “I don’ do this for everyone, Greene, might as well enjoy this.”

Beth slowly walked toward the older man, taking the tea. She had been avoiding all teas and coffees, anything with caffeine in it, nervous to how it would affect her. Starting back to work didn’t help with her fatigue and nausea, it only seemed to have enhanced it by the smells and long hours. Her breast were sore constantly while growing at a rapid pace, and she never had to pee so much in her life. She no longer made excuses onto why she was feeling the way she was, no longer able to ignore what was wrong with her. Her mood was growing more unpredictable as the days went on, one minute feeling completely fine the next crying for no reason; more so because she couldn’t admit to herself still what was really going on with her body, and how stupid she was to put herself into this situation. 

“You can drink it. It’ll settle your stomach. Helps with your _stomach flu_ or whatever you’re claimin’ it is.” Dean chuckled, as she took a sip of the hot liquid, the smell taking over her senses. It was delicious. 

“Thank you.” Beth smiled softly as she took a seat at one of the chairs at the table where most of the waitresses was able to take a minute away from the customers. 

“Is it Gus out there?” Dean asked as he shrugged off his jacket, his green eyes watching as the blonde took a few more generous sips of her tea. Nodding, Beth was able to feel her stomach settle for the first time in weeks; the constant nausea, even without throwing up, was draining for her. “What he order this time?

“The Baconnator special, with triple bacon, and double side of fries.” Beth responded as her boss twisted his body to look at her. “I tried to talk him out of it.”

“That man’s gonna kill himself one of these days.” Dean grumbled, making his way out to the dining room area leaving the blonde to sit with her tea. Dropping her head onto her hands, the blonde closed her eyes while pushing away all the thoughts that had been plaguing her.

Pulling her phone out, Beth unlocked the phone’s screen going to the call log and messages automatically. She knew he wasn’t going to call or contact her, she knew that for a while but she couldn’t stop herself from looking. The ring was still heavy on her finger, only taking it off to bathe, something she was continually aware of on or off; getting to the point she no longer tried hiding that she was still wearing it while cleverly figuring out ways to avoid the subject to everyone else. 

Beth had considered contacting him herself, but she couldn’t bring herself to doing it. It was her fault this time that he was gone, wanting nothing more than to apologize to him for the terrible things that she had said to him, except she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t bring herself to calling him. 

“Beth? Beth, wake up.” The blonde jerked awake suddenly, lifting her head from against the table to see Dean standing next to her. He had his hand on her shoulder and was lightly shaking her awake, all while wearing an amused smile on his face. “Fallin’ asleep on the job?”

“Oh my god, Dean, I am so sorry.” Beth was out of her chair quickly to rush back out to the dining room area, pushing her phone back into her apron. 

“There is no one out there,” Dean laughed, shaking his head. Sitting next down in the chair next to the young woman. His eyes on her finger. “I know what happened to him.”

“With who?” Beth followed his gaze to her ring. He was talking about Daryl. “Oh, him.”

“Now, I ain’t one for gossip as you know this, but I can see that you’re wanting to know.” He took her hand and lifted it so her ring was seen clearly between the two. “And this… is how I know. I catch you looking at it often enough when I been comin’ in lately.”

“I may wanna know, but honestly Dean, is it worth hurting even more over?” Beth wanted nothing more than to jump at the chance to find out where he was, and if he was okay, but she wasn’t sure if her heart could handle it. What if he finally did decide to move on? What if he had already met someone new? What if he decided he wanted to be with the woman from Cordele? A million questions rushed through her mind, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the answers to these questions.

She would find herself driving by Tyreese’s hardware store on her way to work every evening, as if she was driving by to see if the hunter was there closing up shop for the night. It was surprising that she had managed to be able to avoid any conversation pertaining to him as long as she had; had Dean not mentioned him she would have been able to avoid talking about him to anyone. Despite him never leaving her thoughts, or wearing the ring boldly in public once more, Beth didn’t want to talk to anyone about any of her thoughts or questions over where he was.

“Beth, I think you need to know.” Dean never looked so serious, his eyes searching over her face. He was coming to her as a friend, not her boss, and she was able to see concern radiating from him. “But if you don’ want to, I can understand. But I think you need to know. Whether it’s to move on… or it’s to give him the news.”

“What news?” Beth knew what he was referencing, looking down at the table, but to let him know what he meant would mean she would be admitting it to herself. Maybe Dean was right though, maybe she needed to hear it all to move on; not like it would have did her any good. 

“The news that is slapping you across the face so hard that it’s extremely noticeable.” Dean laughed, leaning into the chair ready to play this game with her. Pointing to her head, Dean spoke in a more serious tone. “If this little head can stop being stubborn it can really help,” He then pointed to her stomach. “What’s going on in here.”

Beth could only stare at him, unsure what to say back to the older man. Letting out a deep sigh, Beth closed her eyes to fight away the tears; she needed to hear this. “Tell me then.”

“Well, to start things, you’ve been off the clock this entire time since I am no longer talking to you as a boss, but as a friend who has seen what you have gone through these past few years.” Leaning forward onto the table, he looked down at his hands that were neatly folded in front of him. “He quit Stuff and Thangs Hardware literally the day after what happened here with you. He ended up moving away, I think.”

Turning her whole body away from him, Beth couldn’t stop the tears from falling down her face. _He quit his job because of her_ , and she didn’t even attempt to keep a strong composure. She was _fucked_ , taking every bit of the blame for the hunter’s misfortunes. People would argue if she voiced this so she kept the stinging thought to herself; her hand going to her stomach automatically as her eyes widened, the tears just streaming when she finally turned back to Dean.

“What am I gonna do?” Beth whispered, her eyes pleading to Dean to tell her what to do, how to feel. She allowed herself to believe he was always going to be close, that even if they weren’t together she would know he was only a short drive away; that was no longer the case and she had to accept it. It made her physically sick suddenly, this time not because of her symptoms she had been ignoring, as the reality of her situation started to set in. 

The reality it was no longer _just_ her situation anymore. 

“Find out for sure? You have the weekend off, so take the weekend to find out for sure, get that out of the way before what you’re gonna do about contacting him.” Dean gripped her shoulder in support, unsure what else to do for the crying woman. “Go up and see your sister. I know if I was in this kind of situation with my girl, I would want my brother there for me. I’m sure you’re gonna want her there.”

Beth only nodded as she stood to leave, her brain clinging to the last thing he said. Maggie. Dean was right, she wanted her sister at that moment; thinking of just driving her father’s suburban to Atlanta without going home to check in with him first. She didn’t care if Daryl had her broken down truck still, not bothering with the idea that he ‘stole’ it since he was no criminal and was sure he would return it when he at least attempted to fix it. Nodding her goodbye the blonde rushed to grab her purse and jacket rushing to leave, not needing to say anything. 

The tears didn’t stop as she rushed toward the old red suburban, pulling out the keys from one of the pockets of her bag while her other hand was already dialing her sister. Unlocking the driver’s side door, pressing the phone against her ear and listened to the ringing as she hopped into the vehicle, sniffling from the cold mixing with her tears. Leaning her head against the steering wheel, the young woman prayed softly that her sister would answer at three in the morning. 

“Hello?” The groggy sounding voice of her sister was exactly what she was needing to hear as she continued to cry. With a more alarmed tone, Maggie spoke again. “Beth? You okay? What’s wrong?”

“I… I think…. Maggie I think I’m… _pregnant_.” Beth managed to get out through her sobs, and there was only silence on the other end. “Can I come up there for the weekend… I need you there when I,” Beth could only touch her stomach, already feeling her stomach start to churn again and nausea was trying to hit her again. “Take a test to find out.”

“Yea, of course! Jus’ let yourself in, I’ll be awake.”

****

It was nearly nine in the morning when Beth had gotten to the Rhee’s, with a backpack filled with clothes, her purse, and a plastic bag with two pregnancy tests. She was sure her sister would have already have a pregnancy test ready for her, but knowing she would have to take more than one test.   
Letting herself in, Beth was able to smell the coffee in the air and she was relieved she still was able to enjoy the smell of coffee, realizing it was one of the few things in the diner she was able to handle the smell of. Sammy was awake in the living room, watching cartoons on the large television the family had while his mother was curled up on the couch; her head propped up by her hand. 

Seeing her sister before the little boy did, Maggie jumped up and rushed over toward her sister to hug her. The moment the brunette pulled Beth to her, the younger sister broke down once more. Every emotion rushing through her harder than it felt like on the drive up, resulting in her breaking down once more. 

“Have you had anythin’ to drink? Drink enough water?” Her sister rubbed Beth’s back, and the blonde suddenly felt something wrap around her leg. Breaking apart, the two women looked down to find Sammy hugging his aunt’s legs, patting her leg in his way of comfort. 

“I bought one of the largest waters I could find without buying a huge jug worth. I just finished the second one before I got here, and the way my bladder has been I really need to pee.” Beth responded as she picked up the little boy, who grabbed the woman’s face and gave his aunt a kiss. “I’m okay, Sammy. Thank you, baby boy.”

“I had a test for you, ya know. It’s in the bathroom.” Maggie pulled out two light pink boxes, turning the boxes over to read the backs. “You’re only gonna need one. I mean, you’re far enough along.”

“You may only have needed one, but I need more.” Beth sat Sammy down to take the boxes from her sister. She could tell Maggie was doing her best to hold back the lecturing and her worrying til she could find out the result of the tests. Looking down at the boxes, the blonde was frozen to the spot fighting the anxiety coursing through her. “I wanna be sure…”

“Then go take them!” Maggie exclaimed, rolling her eyes, lifting Sammy into her arms since he was pulling her large t-shirt. She was able to see the wear in her sister, the dark circles that were starting to form under her eyes; the stress was wearing on her already tired body, and the young woman looked like she needed to sleep for days. “I’ll be right out here. We’ll know soon enough.”

Nodding slowly, Beth turned toward the bathroom door on the other side of the apartment, her eyes down casted as if she was going to her death. The older woman’s eyes boring into her as she slowly closed the bathroom door, to find the pregnancy test Maggie had waiting for her on the counter. Placing the other two boxes next to the waiting one, Beth looked down to her stomach. She had changed once she had gotten back to the Greene farm, picking her most comfy and biggest pair of yoga pants along with a tank top that now was tighter on her than it used to be; forgoing the bra since all of them were too small for her. All her clothes were getting to small for her, becoming almost uncomfortable in anything that wasn’t a loose fitting dress. 

Feeling the urgent need to urinate, brought her back to her task as she grabbed one of the boxes and opened it quickly. After doing what she was meant to do, the blonde slipped the cap back on to the part she had ‘used’ before setting it on counter. She couldn’t get her pants back up quick enough as she rushed out of the bathroom, not wanting to watch the results show up onto the stick. Flying out of the bathroom, Beth startled Maggie as she hurried into the kitchen to wash her hands. 

“You okay?” Maggie called out, as the blonde started searching the cabinets for the largest cup or glass she could find. The brunette was at the counter watching her sister fill the glass to the brim with water. “Did you get the results already?”

“I couldn’t sit there starin’ at it waitin’, gotta be ready to take another one.” Beth could feel her whole body shaking, and her stomach turning as she took a large gulp of water; but she was unsuccessful to keep the liquid down as she spit up the amount into the sink. In these long grueling minutes of waiting for her fate to be sealed, that Beth was no longer able to distinguished if it was anxiety or symptoms making her ill. “How were you able to stay so calm when you went through this?”

“Cause Sammy was planned.” Maggie responded back honestly, crossing her arms. “You know after we see those results, no matter what, you and I need to have a very long talk. Glenn won’t be home ‘til the latest six-thirty, so we have all day jus’ the three of us.”

Ignoring her sister, Beth managed to keep her second heavy gulp of water down rushing passed her back to the bathroom, her lungs in her throat. Her whole body was heavy, unable to make sense of any thought going through her mind when she went for test. Maggie was right behind her, with Sammy stumbling after her, when Beth’s heart jumped into her throat as the test fell from her hands. 

“I…I need to take another test.” Beth started to chug the water as fast as she could while Maggie moved into the bathroom to check the results. A soft sigh left the older woman’s lips, shaking her head, her hazel eyes moving to watch Beth desperately fill the glass once more. “Somethin’ could have been wrong with it.”

“Something wrong with it means you get an invalid reading or it just plain don’ work. This is clear as day Beth.” Maggie shook her head as she sat the positive test onto the counter. This didn’t surprise her at all, but it only brought on more questions and worries for her baby sister: like who was the father, or how she was going to tell their parents and said father? 

“Let me do this, Maggie.” Beth managed to choke out, as she felt her head swirling with thoughts; she wasn’t ready to accept the results until she was sure. She knew exactly how far she was, so she had no need to take more test but it was her way of coping with it all. With her blue eyes pleading silently, she stared at her sisters with tears in her eyes, begging. “Please…”

Two more tests with the same results later, Beth only sat on the living room couch with the third test in her hand; her eyes glued to the little plus sign. She had stopped crying after the second test was taken, so now she only sat there allowing the reality to finally set in for her. Closing her eyes, Beth was so lost in thought she hadn’t heard Maggie return into the living room from putting Sammy down for his mid-afternoon nap. When she opened her blue eyes once more, she only stared at the test not noticing the older woman had taken the seat next to her. 

“You can stare at that thing forever, but it ain’t gonna change to a little minus sign.” Maggie tried to joke, attempting to make the situation lighter. She didn’t like that her sister was near catatonic staring at the last pregnancy test she took. 

“I know.” Beth responded simply, her mind going to what she was going to do. Looking down at her finger where her ring was resting, the blonde looked back toward the test stick still in her hand. 

“So, do you know?” Maggie asked after a few minutes of silence, and the blonde suddenly looked at her sister confused. Maggie wasn’t sure if she should continue by the look she was receiving, as she looked down to pick at her fingernails. 

“Do I know what?” Beth asked slowly, feeling like she was being slapped in the face when she started to catch on what her sister was meaning. Looking away, Beth pulled her knees to her chest as she placed the stick onto the couch arm her eyes shut tight; she had hoped her sister knew her better than that, but she didn’t blame her sister for thinking this. It only shocked her that Maggie was so blunt. “I never slept with Zach, Maggie, I’ve never been with anyone else but Daryl. He’s the father.”

The way her voice cracked when she spoke the last few words, that Maggie couldn’t stop herself from curling up right next to her sister and leaned her head against her sisters; her arm tight around her shoulder. The two women stayed quiet for what felt like hours when it was only minutes. There was plenty of things that she could say to her to try and help with the situation, but Maggie knew that her sister just needed to be held and not judged for once since everything started to happen again. 

“I love you, Beth.” Maggie spoke suddenly kissed her sister’s temple, and the blonde leaned more into her, closing her eyes. “I’ll go to every visit and help you with as much as I can, we’re all here for you.”

“I love you too, Maggie.” Beth whispered, happy that for once Maggie didn’t get upset with her, or tried to lecture her for once. Instead she was just comforted her and allowed her to let the information set in. Closing her eyes, Beth allowed the exhaustion, which had been beating at her for a while, to take over her; Daryl and their growing little one. 

****

The dust flew up into the air as two trucks sped down the dirt road toward the Greene family farm, Daryl being one of the drivers in Beth’s truck and Tyreese following close behind in his own small Ford. The hunter’s thumb bleeding from him chewing on it from the moment the two men set off to return her truck. He hadn’t set foot on the old family farm in years, and he was nervous to be back to the place that was close to a second home to the older man. 

He had put a lot of work into fixing her truck to the point where it was as good as new, spending the last of his savings on the repairs to be able to get it back to her fixed. He had hoped that it wouldn’t break down on her again, knowing it won’t be him the next time it happened. After returning her vehicle, Daryl had planned to return to Cordelle. Unsure what he was going to do with the cabin anymore. 

“Shit…” Daryl muttered nervously when he saw Hershel making his way from the stables toward where the hunter stopped. The older man’s eyes were dead on Daryl, and it made him almost scared to get out of the truck; instead taking a deep breath and getting out of the truck to give him the keys. 

“Didn’ think I’d see you here again.” Hershel spoke as he reached Daryl, his blue eyes unyielding as he continued to stare down the younger man. 

“Jus’ bringin’ back Beth’s truck. Fixed it for her.” Daryl managed to grunt out, feeling suddenly very small around the eldest Greene. The man’s disapproving stare was hard for the hunter to look at, still holding a high respect for the man. 

“You didn’ have to do that, Daryl.” Hershel shook his head, taking the keys from the hunter. Tyreese had gotten out of his own truck and made his way over toward the two men. Giving Hershel a friendly smile, Tyreese looked over toward his friend to make sure he was okay. 

“I wanted to, Hershel.” Daryl responded, turning to leave since he started to feel uncomfortable under the older man’s intense stare. “Tell Beth to look in the glove compartment. Left her somethin’ in there.”

“You can let her know yourself.” Hershel nodded toward the large home and Daryl went to twist around to look at him in confusion when he saw her. 

Beth was standing at the top step of the porch, her eyes on Daryl and a small smile gracing her lips. She was wearing a light blue baby doll top that looked almost a dress on her, covering her jeans she was wearing. Her blonde hair was down with a single braid peaking from right under her layers; almost reminding him of the first time he had ever seen her and it took his breath away. Taking her time to walk down the steps, Daryl watched as she made her way toward him a small smile on her face. A smile he couldn’t read.

“What are you doin’ tonight?” Beth didn’t bother with any sort of greeting, as she stopped within a few feet from him. He noticed the distance she was keeping and her arms crossed with her left hand neatly tucked away from his sight. “Do you have any plans?”

“Nah,” Daryl wasn’t able to get much else out then that, wishing his heart would stop pounding hard against his chest. He had to look at the other two men to see if he had heard her correctly. Hershel seemed very unphased about what his daughter had asked, while Tyreese looked at him surprised as well. 

“You wanna maybe get dinner around eight? Dean told me about this pretty good burger joint not too far from here.” Beth sounded almost nervous asking, looking nearly hopeful. 

“Yea… I’ll pick you up around then.” Daryl nodded slowly after a moment, a ghost of a smile starting to play on his lips. Her small smile only grew wider. 

“Great! Thank you for fixin’ my truck. You didn’ have to.” Daryl only nodded as he started toward Tyreese’s truck as the other man hugged the blonde quickly in hello before joining the older man in the car. “See you at eight, Daryl Dixon.”


	15. The Starting of a New Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been working on this for weeks, up to 14 pages and was NO WHERE near done and if I hadn't the chapter in half yall wouldn't have gotten it for another few weeks. And the whole thing with AO3 files being taken and put on that site kinda dampened my desire to finish, but I did and here it is. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy

Daryl fidgeted nervously while speeding down the highway from Cordele to pick Beth up on time, having not considered the lack of time he had to get back to the Peletier home to change. He rushed as fast as he could to get ready to see her that night, the plaguing thought as to the young blonde wanted to have dinner with him in the first place kept prodding at him; to the point where he had to fight to not build up his hopes whenever the idea of her wanting to work things out crossed his mind. He knew better than to try and decline her offer, especially since he never was good at telling her no anyways, knowing this may have been his only chance to see her once more. Taking another glance toward the clock, the hunter cursed to himself as he turned onto the familiar dirt road, realizing how late he was. 

Beth had already been outside waiting on the porch for him, a dark colored sweater wrapped tight around her small body; shivering slightly from the cold. This made the older man feel worse for being late and leaving her waiting in the cold. Watching as the young woman hurried to the truck, he leaned across the seat to open the passenger side door. As she hopped into the warm truck Daryl used the overhead light to be able to look her over, a bright friendly smile gracing her glossed lips. Her hair was still down from earlier, with a pair of dark tights under a memorable white sundress while wrapped in a large dark sweater, accompanied by her worn boots. Even after the overhead light had gone out, Daryl was able to see her skin bright under the moonlight; taking his breath completely away.

“Sorry for bein’ late.” Daryl grumbled as Beth continued to give him a friendly smile. It didn’t look forced from his point of view, only adding fuel to his insistent building hope. His thumb once more between his teeth; one day he was going to gnaw both thumbs off if he didn’t try to stop the habit.

“Oh, I wasn’ out there very long.” Beth responded, stretching out her sweater sleeves over her hands; Daryl had to fight a small chuckle when he noticed how nervous she was acting as well.

“Where we headin’?” Daryl asked speeding down the dirt road as the young blonde gave him the directions that she had gotten from Dean. Once on the road toward their destination, Daryl pulled out one of his smokes to have for the drive; Beth caught him before he could grab his zippo. 

“Could we maybe not smoke right now? I’m kinda sensitive to smells at the moment.” Beth spoke softly as Daryl shot a glance toward her, an unlit smoke hanging from his lips. Finding the new found information a bit odd, the hunter complied either way by tossing the unlit smoke into one of his cup holders. “You could use without them anyways.”

“You always say that.” Daryl could hear the teasing smile in her voice, returning it with a soft chuckle; deciding not to over think what she had said to him. It was always easy to slip into that banter for the two, especially since she was always the one who was right about not needing them.

“It’s cause it’s always true, Daryl Dixon.” Beth retorted back as he shot her another glance. It may have been dark inside the truck cabin, but the hunter was able to tell there was something different about the young woman; what it was exactly he couldn’t put his finger on it though. It was a subtle gradual difference, but he was able to see the changes and found he liked whatever it was she was doing different. 

He only let out a scoff that led to a different kind of silence, neither comfortable nor uncomfortable, as if the two drifted off into their own thoughts; both fighting to ignore the magnetic pull toward one another, both with the same growing desire. Thousands of questions as to why she wanted to see him flowed through Daryl’s mind, while Beth’s mind raced with different ways to tell him about the pregnancy. Imagining several different scenarios in her mind on how she would tell him along with different ways he could react, the blonde tried to mentally prepare herself for each possible way the night could go.

“Pull at ‘em sleeves any harder, ya gonna rip ‘em.” Daryl spoke after a short silence, catching her pull at her sleeves. “Don’ know why you gotta be so nervous lookin’, ain’t got nothin’ to worry about.”

“That’s what you think.” Beth muttered low enough, loosening up on her sweater sleeves, happy that the fabric was still covering her hands; not wanting him to see the ring still on her finger. There was more important things to deal with then besides still wearing the ring. Turning her head to look at the older man, she able to see the smile on his lips in the moonlight; thinking she couldn’t see his excitement to be around her. 

He was almost giddy seeing her again, which took the young woman by surprised by how things had ended with them the last time they were around each other. She didn’t want to admit that she was giddy herself, but the reason she had wanted to see him was not the same reason he might have been hoping. Beth could feel her body wanting to move closer to him, to slip into his strong arms and never have him let go, but for once her head wasn’t clouded by what the rest of her wanted; thinking it might have been the baby was able to help her keep a level head on why they were having dinner.

Pretending to wrap her body up more into the sweater she ran her hand over her belly, shooting quick glances toward the hunter before looking back out the window. He had a right to know that he had a child out there in the world, he had a right to have the option to be in its life or not. The night wasn’t about them, it was never going to be about them anymore. They both made a mistake that weekend, no matter how right that mistake had felt for either of them, and it was now time to face the results of their actions. She hadn’t been taking her birth control like she should have, and protection was not even a thought in either of their minds when they were swept away with passion; throwing caution to the wind that took them to where they were now. The blonde was in this for the long run, ready to have and raise this baby; it was up to Daryl to choose his part in this.

“So, Dean swears by this place?” Daryl asked as they pulled up to one of the parking places under a large bright red and green striped umbrella, covered in terrible Valentine’s day decor, the servers were all on roller skates as they took orders and delivered food to the different cars parked.

“Says the food is good and a good place to eat without much interruption or distraction.” Beth responded leaning slightly across the seat to look at the menu board on the driver’s side, and Daryl tried not to show that he had reacted to how close she was now toward him. Her blonde hair falling off her shoulder onto his leg, and through the jean fabric he was able feel the soft strands on his body. Her beautiful skin only seemed to have become fuller, hinting she had gained weight, glowing brightly under the florescent lighting. He didn’t know it was possible for her to be so beautiful, making him want to run his fingers through her soft hair, but he stayed still for her. Admiring her from where he was. “Apparently there is nothing terrible on the menu, so we can’ go wrong.”

Daryl nodded as he rolled down his window as one of the girls on the skates made her way over toward them, scanning the board briefly to see what they had to offer. Stopping right next to the driver’s side, the girl pulled out her pen and pad to put down their order. Her voice was very high pitch, almost piercing the two’s ears when she spoke, “How’re we doin’ tonight?”

“Good, yourself?” Daryl grunted, trying to be polite toward the girl; this only caused the young girl to blush brightly as her smile widened. Beth could feel her blood slowly boiling at the way she looked toward the older man, causing her to look away to fight down the jealousy that started to rear its head back. She had to calm down for a moment, before turning back with a forced friendly smile.

“I’m doin’ swell, thank you. What can I get ya’ll tonight?” She put her pen to the pad, ready to take their orders.   
“I’ll take the number one, the burger and fries with a large coke.” Daryl grunted, the waitress jotting his order down. Looking over toward Beth, she blushed brightly as she spoke her order. 

“I’ll have the chicken tenders, but instead of ranch could I get thousand island dressin’ with fries, and you think I can get a few pickles on the side?” Daryl could only stare at the young woman as she listed her order, taking in how strange it was. 

“Certainly, ma’am.” The girl suddenly smirked as if she was in on the secret but he wasn’t. He shook himself mentally suddenly, trying to push away a thought that started to fester, his intense stare never leaving her. “Would you like anythin’ to drink with that?”

“Water is fine.” Beth’s blush only got brighter when she saw the older man staring at her with interest. Once done writing their order down, the girl gave them the total in which Daryl handed her a twenty; when she went to give him his change, the older man shook his head and the girl smiled and rolled away. Avoiding his gaze, Beth started to play with the radio like she used to when a laugh left him causing her to look at him. 

“Sensitive to smells, and an interesting choice in food. Pregnant much?” Daryl chuckled, expecting her to laugh with him along with a smart remark coming from her, instead he was met with a deep sigh. His smile started to fall as he watched her have an inner battle with herself.

“Eleven week pregnant.” Beth responded as casually as she could before her nerves took over and she couldn’t get anything out. Holding her breath, she chanced a glance toward Daryl; her bright blue eyes wide as he only stared at her with his mouth open. Staying silent, the hunter turned to look forward so she couldn’t see the emotions in his eyes despite being shielded by his bangs. “Well, nine weeks to be exact if you wanna get technical. But the doctor says I just hit about eleven weeks.”

Daryl allowed the information to sink in, keeping his eyes forward. _Pregnant_. He didn’t have the power to form words that were racing through his mind; his own blue eyes back on her instantly, looking her over. That was what different about her, that was why her body was fuller and softer looking, her hair thicker with her skin just glowing from under the terrible florescent lights they place had to lighten up the parking lot. Looking away once more, the older man took a deep breath before forcing himself to find the words. 

“Does Zach know too?” Daryl forced out, his voice different and this wasn’t one of scenarios the blonde had gone over during the drive over. She had never told him that she never slept with him, a sadistic part of her wanted him to think she was. Of course. How could he have known? The words still stabbed her, keeping her gaze on him so he could see the truth in every word. 

“Why should he know? I never slept with him. How could he be the father?” Beth answered him and she watched his body tense before visibly relaxing once more at the information. Looking down at her lap, the young woman spoke calmly. “I asked you out tonight so I can tell you about the baby, so you’re aware of it if you want a part of its life.”

“You asked me here tonight to make me choose?” Daryl asked, his hands twitching toward the discarded smoke in the cup holder. 

“That’s not what I meant Daryl. I can care less what you want to do, cause I’m havin’ it. I hope you didn’ think I was here to get back together, cause I ain’t. Especially ‘cause I’m pregnant.” Beth could feel her stomach churning as she looked back up to watch his movements, every expression crossing his face after pushing his bangs off to the side; his mind racing with the information. Using her left thumb, the blonde nervously played with the ring from under the fabric of her sweater sleeve, her eyes not leaving his. “What was said, and what we have done to each other… none of that is gonna be fixed. The damage is too terrible. We shouldn’ even be in each other’s lives anymore, bein’ so toxic to each other, but this is no longer about what is good for us; it’s our baby.”

Daryl only stayed silent, several emotions were rushing through him. Leaning his head against the steering wheel, the older man closed his eyes; try as he may to hold onto an exact emotion he was unsuccessful. Taking deep breaths, Daryl sat up and looked at the blonde, before speaking. “We ain’t toxic.”

“From the moment you came chargin’ back, yea we have.”

“No, that’s us fighting what is s‘pposed to be natural Beth. Somethin’ I ran from, and came back to make it right.” Daryl was oddly calm suddenly, his eyes going to her stomach. She had worn the dress to hide her weight gain; her body adjusting to the pregnancy, _their baby_. “That ain’t toxic. We ain’t toxic. Anythin’ is fixable.”

“We aren’t though, Daryl.” Her voice was small, his hand suddenly coming to view to touch her hand that was resting on her belly, and the blonde moved so his palm was on her stomach and it was her small hand resting over his large one. “Our hearts may say one thing, but all our actions say another. I want you to be part of this baby’s life even if it’s not with me.”

“I met a woman at Hatlin’s one night.” Daryl spoke, and Beth could feel her heart freezing mid beat; something slowly starting to constrict her throat. “Can’ say she wasn’ beautiful, dumb as all fuck and gave a shit about one thing though. Hung around me the entire night; buyin’ my drinks. She wanted to help me _‘forget you,’_ asked me to go home with her. And I told her yes and we left together.”

Beth could feel herself wanting to throw up, the words sinking into her. Closing her eyes slowly, she was able to feel the tears stinging as she tried to calm herself. She had to keep reminding herself that they weren’t together, that he deserved to move on and find someone else—even if it was just a one night thing—but hearing the words still hurt. It was as if someone had taken a large hunting blade to her chest, before twisting it slowly with every image her mind had created; trying her best to not flinch away from his hand on her stomach. She had to keep herself calm as he continued on talking. 

“Once we got to her place… I couldn’ do it.” Daryl removed his hand from her stomach to sit back, watching her every movement. He could feel the wave of hurt beating off her, her beautiful blue eyes shut tight to continue to keep the tears at bay. “Told her to get out of my truck, and jus’ went home and passed out thinkin’ of _you_. I could’ve had her as many different ways as I wanted, but I didn’ want her. I didn’ want to share another’s bed. I didn’ want to share my bed with anyone but you.”

“So, you couldn’ fuck some random woman, and you think tellin’ me about it is gonna make everythin’ better?” Beth asked, looking at him with an unreadable stare. It scared the hunter at how low and steady her voice was, despite her body shaking. 

Before he could respond there was a knock at his window, causing the two to almost jump out of their skin; the waitress had returned with their food. Rolling the window down, Daryl took the food as she handed one or two items at a time. Beth took all her food he had handed her as he placed his own in his lap and rolled the window back up after nodding his thanks to the girl. They could only stared down at their food, neither having much of an appetite anymore. The smell of Daryl’s burger was actually nauseating for the upset woman, doing her best to keep from throwing open the vehicle door and throwing up the contents in her stomach.

Her heart was hurting, thinking about him with another woman; mixing that with the aroma in the truck cabin and the blonde was feeling a world of sick. Daryl had noticed that she had turned a different shade as she stared at his unwrapped dinner and then turning to roll the windows back down so there was a breeze flowing. The air smelled of cooked burgers and food, not helping her feel any better. Setting his food in the seat between them, the hunter turned on the truck and shifted into reverse. 

“You okay, Beth?” Daryl asked, stopping himself from backing out, scared to start driving in case it made her sicker. “Are you gonna get sick?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Jus’ the smell is getting to me.” Beth gave him a forced smile, only being half truthful, taking a generous gulp of the water that they had brought. Looking away from him quickly, she moved her food to the middle seat too. “We’re not hungry after all, I guess.”

“Yea,” Daryl chuckled softly at the way she said that, nodding in agreement. He caught a ghost of what could have been a teasing smile flash over her features before her face fell once more looking away from him. “Yea, me too. Let’s get out of here.”

Beth nodded as he backed out of the parking place and driving off back toward town. The cool winter Georgia air helped a little, even though the blonde still had Daryl pull over to throw up at one point; it didn’t help calm the storm of thoughts swirling in her mind. She didn’t have the strength anymore to be angry, she didn’t have the strength to yell or scream, she just wanted to go home. _She was just hurt._

“Where are we goin’?” Beth asked when she had noticed that they had passed her family farm, and was driving through town. Sitting up from her slouched position in her seat, the blonde looked at him confused as he continued toward town. 

“You didn’ try and kill me, so I am takin’ that as a good sign.” Daryl shrugged. “So, I thought we can go somewhere and talk about this further.”

“I’m gettin’ tired, so why don’ you take me home?” Beth wasn’t lying when she said she was growing tired; everything about that evening had drained her already tired body and her bed was calling to her. Daryl only cast her another glance as he turned onto the familiar dirt road to the cabin. “We can talk more about this later.”

“Jus’ hang in there jus’ a bit longer. We have food to finish, and a child’s life to talk about.” Daryl leaned over to touch her belly, driving past the small dark cabin. Beth blinked away the tears watching the now unoccupied cabin pass by them; loving the cabin from the moment she laid eyes on it. So it was hard to see the cabin dark and unlived in; missing the comfort the cabin had brought to her.  
She knew where he was taking her, to their little hide-a-way at the small creek near his cabin. The place they always had gone to when they really didn’t want to be found by anyone. It was quiet, and peaceful; a perfect place to enjoy the beauty of nature. Pulling right up to the creek, the hunter put the vehicle into park before undoing his seatbelt as the blonde watched him. Grabbing as much of their food as he could, Daryl nodded to Beth to follow him out of the truck. Watching him exit the vehicle, Beth sat there for a moment when she heard the back of the truck open. 

Biting her bottom lip, Beth ran her fingers through her hair, feeling the tangles caused by the drive; doing her best to clear her mind. She didn’t know what she was doing, she knew he was only being open with her and nothing did happen but it still hurt. A part of her expected herself to be angry and scream at him, —burn things and possibly punch him in the face once more— but instead she felt hurt and exhausted from everything. With a deep sigh, the pregnant woman undid her own seatbelt to meet him at the tailgate, grabbing the rest of the food. Her body hurt, and she wanted to just bury herself under her blankets and sleep, with only her bladder forcing her to get up.   
Wrapping the sweater tighter around her body, she made her way to the back of the truck where the hunter was scarfing down his food; a chunk of hamburger meat stuck on his facial hair near his lip. Setting the food down, the blonde leaned against the tailgate using her boot to play with a pebble in the grass. Moving his intense blue eyes toward her, Daryl wrapped up the hamburger to set it next to his fries. 

“You can scream and yell at me if want.” Daryl spoke suddenly watching her come back from her daydream to look at him.

“I rather set somethin’ of yours on fire then to verbally abuse you ‘til I feel better. Doubt I would feel any better anyways,” Beth shrugged, before letting out a soft chuckle. “When Maggie was pregnant, any little thing angered her, she would yell at anyone who crossed her path. Me, I jus’ wanna sleep ‘til I have to pee…and burn things.”  
“I’d let you burn somethin’ of mine, but I don’ think the smoke is good for the baby.” Daryl gave her a joking smile, trying his best to make light of the situation. He still had a piece of food in his facial hair, and the blonde couldn’t keep from smiling and giggling at him. “What?”

“You have some burger right here.” Beth pointed toward where the food was. Watching his thumb slide over the rough hair and pushed the piece of food into his mouth, the blonde could feel her body start to warm. She hated how erotic it was to watch him suck his thumb slowly, with her body fighting against the logic in her head.   
“How did your parents take the news?” Daryl asked with an embarrassed smile on his face, his eyes on his feet. Grabbing a few of her fries, Beth took a feeble bite of the now cool food. 

“They knew before I did, actually.” Beth gave a small smile, looking up to watch the clear water flow down the small creek. “Mama ain’t too happy that I’m single an’ havin’ a baby, pretendin’ that she ain’t bein’ a hypocrite in the process. But she’s still bein’ supportive.”

“An’ your dad?”

“He’s excited, maybe more excited than everyone else put together. As long as you don’ mention my marital status at least.” Blushing, she glanced toward the hunter to see him watching her carefully. Taking a napkin, the blonde cleaned her fingers to once more wrap tight around her body once more. “They only hope that you don’… do what you did again if you stay… but whatever you choose that feels right for you… not because you have to, because you want to.”

Daryl could only watch her try to blink away a few tears as she turned to look up at the stars, not saying another word. She didn’t need to say anything more, it was now his turn to say something. _Anything._ All he could do though, was watch her for those minutes, taking in everything her eyes were giving away; even if she wasn’t looking at him. He could tell she wanted him to be a part of this, but it was breaking her heart in the process. _She still loved him,_ but Beth felt they wouldn’t be able to come back from everything that happened leading to this moment. Leading a child. 

Moving closer to her in an attempt to give her small shivering body some warmth, Daryl had to finally look away from her as he pressed his shoulder against her own; his own blue eyes going toward the sky to look at all the stars. He remembered when they used to just lay in the bed of his truck staring up at the same stars; everything was okay then, before he ran away. Ran away like a coward. He ran away from his chance at life long happiness with her. Daryl knew he was a coward then, but he wasn’t going to run away this time; leaving her alone to raise the kid.

“I ain’t gonna be goin’ anywhere.” Daryl spoke after a long silence while the two stared up into the starry sky. The blonde looked over toward him confused when she felt his arm wrapped around her shoulder slowly. “You ain’t gotta give me a choice.”

Beth felt his hold tighten around her, as he moved to stand in front of her. Their eyes connecting; hers filled with wonder and his filled with love and determination. She didn’t move to touch him back, as she kept her arms wrapped around her; fighting off the urge to naturally respond to him by slipping them around his neck and melt into him like she wanted to. In her head though all she could think about was him with another woman, no matter if anything happened with them or not; stabbing at her heart over and over.

“I want to make all this worth it, Beth. Everything,” Daryl whispered in her ear, his rough voice sending waves down her spine and throughout her body. She hated how she became putty in his arms, trying to keep a clear mind. Pulling her left hand away from her body, Daryl pushed the dark fabric of her sweater to reveal her fingers. His thumb was rough as it brushed over the ring. “I wanna be a father to this baby, and I want to do right by you.”  
“You mean until you decide that you don’ wanna be a regret to us?” Beth shot back, and Daryl sighed dropping her hand but not making any moves of moving away from her. 

“No, I ain’t goin’ nowhere. Not this time.” Daryl whispered, pulling her into a soft kiss. He had been fighting the feeling to just pull her into his arms and kiss her like his life dependent on it the entire night; more so now that he knew she was carrying his baby. The bleak regret that sweltered inside him, turned into a chance of hope as he felt her lips apply slight pressure against his own. 

“I can’.” Beth shook her head suddenly, pulling away from his grasps, her eyes filled with tears as she stared at him. “Jus’ ‘cause we have a baby together, doesn’ mean we are gonna be together. You can’ kiss me like that, Daryl. Not anymore. You can’ just do things like that, knowin’ I am willin’ to fall back into this twisted little world we created. But that world doesn’t exist anymore, we are in a whole new world where we have a responsibility of actions that we took. 

“I don’ wanna be with you, Daryl. This isn’ us getting’ back together, ‘cause there is no _us_.” Beth turned back to look at him, hoping he wouldn’t grow upset over this. Daryl stood there, his arms falling slowly to his sides as he looked at the blonde; tears falling down her eyes. “I can’ do this again, I’m sorry.”

Daryl was quiet a moment, before nodded solemnly. She was only there for the baby, and he was only breaking her heart more by kissing her. He could see the inner war behind her sad eyes, this was not what she needed right now, she didn’t need him trying to get her back. No, that was _not_ what she needed. Beth needed him to just be there for her through this; and if that was what she wanted, that was what he would give her. His own chest hurt at this, but if there was anything to truly make this right was to be there for her how she needed. She didn’t want to do this alone, without a father there to help raise it, and that was why she wanted him there. They were in this together, even if they weren’t _together_ , and there was no way he was going to desert her this time. 

“A’right.” Daryl grunted as he gave her his own forced smile. Making his way over toward her, Beth stood there as his hand was once more on her stomach; as if hoping he could feel the baby grow. “I’m gonna be a dad…”

“You are,” Beth smiled softly, tears still falling despite feeling the relief that he was accepting where they stood. His eyes on the spot his hand was, and the blonde couldn’t help but watch his hand. “Daryl, are you gonna keep your word, and be there for us… for it? That I can rely on you to be there when it’s gonna need you the most?”

“You have my word.” Daryl understood why she was so apprehensive to trust his word. He had promised her he would never go anywhere before, and had left her on their wedding day. There was no blame in the look of distrust in her blue eyes, allowing him to feel the sting of it. Getting down onto his knees he reached eye level to her stomach, and Beth watched him with curiosity. Her stomach was still slightly flat, allowing the small bump to poke through the extra weight, but she felt soft under the fabric of the dress. His favorite dress on her in fact. “You have my word that I will never abandon either of you. I will be there even when your mother is kickin’ my ass out while I worry she’ll be okay at night, you can’ get rid of me.”

“Thank you...” Beth smiled, as Daryl looked up at her, sharing the same sad smile. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be with their first baby, but the right cards were tossed back for the hand they were now dealt.   
“I got somethin’ for ya.” Daryl stood back up quickly, to move past the blonde to the passenger side of his truck. Opening the truck door, the older man flipped the switch to open the glove compartment. Beth stood there watching him with curiosity as he stood back with a manila envelope in his hands; her name in a messy scroll on the front. Turning to look at the blonde, Daryl looked down. “I wanted to give you this on our weddin’ night, but well… we know what happened there… so, um, here… a baby gift.”

Holding out the envelope toward the blonde as he drew closer, the hunter drew back slightly when she took the gift that he had given her. Looking down at the messy scroll, it brought tears to her eyes when it read _Beth Dixon_. Doing her best to ignore the stinging pain and still lingering resentment for him, the blonde opened the large envelope, and pulled out a document. Reading over it, the blonde looked confused. 

“What…What is this?” Beth’s eyes were wide as she looked at him, his head down paying attention to a pebble of his own. 

“Probably should have replaced the envelope when I changed it back to your Maiden name,” Daryl shrugged as she continued to stare at him. He knew that stare, she was going to refuse it. “You love that cabin, and you took care of it and it became your home. I want you to raise the baby there, can’ think of nowhere else to. I can’ live there, not without you, but you lived there jus’ fine without me.”

“You know, Dixon, you talk a lot of words when you’re nervous around me.” Beth retorted, handing back the deed to cabin; one with her name written as the owner of. “I can’ accept this. This is too much.”

“I talk a lot around you, _Greene_ , ‘cause I’m comfortable around ya.” Daryl retorted, bothered by her new found usage of his last name. Was that her was of making it clear there was no chance of getting back together? If so, he was not a fan of it. “And it ain’t too much. Once we find out what the baby is, and the name, then the cabin goes to it.”

Beth dropped her hand that held the document, seeing the stubborn look on his face giving right back one of her own. No way was she going to be able to accept this, even if she loved the small home so much. Lifting her arm up once more, the blonde tried to give him the deed once more. She wasn’t going to accept this. 

“I can do fine at my parents, they’ll be able to help the first few months after it’s born.” She forced the paper into his hands. 

“I’ll sleep on the couch every night to help, I’ll be there every moment after it’s here. Can’ you see I’m tryin’ here?” Daryl suddenly felt as if everything he had promised her just went through one ear and out the other. She still didn’t believe he was going to be there. “You talk as if I am goin’ somewhere or somethin’.”

“I don’ mean it like that. Daryl, it won’ be here ‘til September so you never know what could happen in these months.” Beth didn’t mean to say it the way she had, but she had a hard time believing that he was going to stick around. “You might meet someone, or found a good job, or decided that maybe a baby isn’ what you need right now. You may promise now, but who knows in the next few months.”

There was a long silence from the hunter, as he stared at her. Closing the gap between them, Daryl gently cupped her face so she couldn’t look away; so she could see the hurt in his eyes by her words. “I told you, there will never be anyone else—you know I’ve tried and couldn’ do it, but ain’t no way you think that I am ever gonna think that. You and that baby are all I fuckin’ need. With you or not… I ain’t gonna go anywhere this time. Not on you, or _our_ baby.

“Take the cabin, Beth.” His voice was rough but gentle; hiding all hurt in his voice. Beth tried to look away so he couldn’t see that he was wearing her down. “Trust me, please.”

The blonde finally was able to pull away from him, backing away slightly with tears streaming down her eyes, looking down at the deed in her hands. She knew what hurt him the most was her distrust of his word; when he had once been a man of his word to her. Beth was the last person he would ever want to look at him with such distrust, but he had no one else to blame but himself. Watching her slip the deed back into the envelope, the blonde shook her head softly, unable to fight anymore. 

“I think I should go home.” Beth spoke softly as she moved toward the back of the truck to retrieve her uneaten food. She suddenly felt exhausted, not realizing how much energy it had taken to tell him, and now all she wanted to do was bury herself under the covers; singing softly to her baby as she fell asleep. When the young woman looked back up, she could only see Daryl was still standing there; his eyes still on the place where she had been standing. 

After a moment, the hunter snapped back into reality; nodding slowly without another word to her. Walking toward the back of the truck Daryl gently pushed her aside to close the back of the truck; not once looking at her as he walked toward the driver’s side of his vehicle, leaving her standing alone in the cold air. With a soft sigh, Beth joined him in the warming truck cabin, with her eyes unable to look anywhere but the manila envelope in her hands. She barely had her seatbelt on before Daryl started for the main road, passing by the cabin once more.   
Her eyes went to it automatically, unable to look past the older man keeping his eyes on the road; he made no effort to look at their once small home. Paying closer attention toward Daryl’s features as they lit up by the moon, she could see he was trying his best to hide the hurt and sadness behind strands of his dark hair. This only made the blonde feel like a bigger bitch as she looked down at the manila envelope, angry at herself for flipping when he had already given her his word. Why did she have to do that with him? 

There was a thick silence between the two as he drove, one so thick a knife could slice right through it, leaving the blonde to her guilty thoughts. He had wanted her to have the cabin to raise their child in, and she threw it all back into his face even though she knew he had meant every word he had said to her. She couldn’t deny that every time she had imagined the baby the past week it had been the cabin, wanting to raise the child in the beautiful little home in the woods. 

“I have an appointment Thursday, an ultrasound.” Beth finally broke the silence when it was clear that he wasn’t going to say anything more, his thumb long finding its way between his teeth. Nodding his head, Daryl shot a quick glance toward the young woman letting her know he was listening. “We’ll be seeing the baby for the first time. And I would love it if you were there with me for it to happen.”

“What time?” Daryl responded, releasing his thumb from the painful place between his teeth as he seemed to have straightened in his seat. She had meant to ask him to come to this appointment sooner, but he had surprised her with the envelope that was weighing heavily in her lap before she could. Mentioning it had changed the air of the truck, as if it pulled back a thick layer of the hunter’s mood. It made her smile softly seeing a more excited look on his face at the offer. 

“Two-thirty.” Beth responded and she bit her bottom lip, as she flipped the envelope nervously over in her lap. She knew he had long noticed her fidgeting of his very big gift to her and the baby, but Beth didn’t bother being discreet about taking her time with deciding if she was going to accept the gift or not. “If you wanna, maybe we can go together in the same truck. Save gas?”

“All about savin’ that gas now huh?” Daryl smirked as his hand moved over his mouth to hide the childish smile reaching his lips. The offer had meant more to the hunter than the blonde could possibly know, allowing it to shed the thick depressing layer that had started to build onto him. 

“Oh stop.” Beth responded back with a laughing smile of her own, knowing where he was going with that. Rolling her eyes, she gave him a mock serious look as she spoke, “Unless you wanna jus’ meet me at the doctor’s. Granted if that happens, Maggie will be accompanying us. She’s been lookin’ forward to talkin’ to you about all this.”

“I’ll take you.” The mood had greatly lightened, letting the issues they still needing to work through wash away. There was no was that this night was going to end on a bad note when it was never meant to be as stressful as it had been. Neither had known what to have expected from seeing each other, but both was going to make it as positive as they could. “You don’ have to threaten me with your sister to get me to take ya.”

“That was Maggie’s message to you.” Beth responded when they turned back onto the dirt road to the farm; a light in the living room still on. Her father was still awake, waiting for her to get home with how it had gone. Pulling to a stop in front of the large home, Daryl put the car into park when he noticed Beth didn’t go to get out. “I’ll take the cabin too…”

“You are?”

“I agree with you.” Beth’s blue eyes connected with his intense ones, a smile on her face as she looked over his features. His hair was in a mess around his face, looking messy and uncombed over his eyes. There was a bright smile falling over his lips, a happy boyish smile that sent chills down her spine knowing that it was directed toward her; finding it almost hard to resist pressing her own lips against them. “For the last week, every time I would think about this baby, I couldn’t think of anywhere else to raise the baby. Only where would you live?”

“Back in Cordele. It ain’t that bad of a drive, so I can manage it all.” Daryl responded, and he watched the young woman nod watching his hand move to place over her belly. From the corner of his eye, Daryl was able to see the eldest Greene looking through one of the curtains from the lit room to watch the two. Feeling her small hand over his, the older man allowed his attention to go back to the child they made together growing inside her. Soon there will be a large bump under the dress, something he couldn’t be more excited to see this. 

After a minute like this, Daryl withdrew his hand from her belly and turned off the truck to pull the keys out of the ignition. Unhooking one of the few keys he had, Daryl handed it to the blonde. It was the cabin key. Taking it slowly, Beth looked up toward him, blushing brightly.

“Text me when you get home, a’right?” Beth asked with a nervous laugh, which earned a nod from the hunter. “Thank you for seein’ me tonight. I’ll see ya later?”

“Yea,” Daryl grunted as he watched as she slipped out of the truck. “G’night, Beth.”

“Goodnight, Daryl.” Beth smiled softly shutting the door to make her way up the steps to her home. Leaving the older man to watch her turn off the porch light before he took off back home. A smoke between his lips after desperately needing one for a while. 

 

***

 

The drive to Cordele felt like it had been shorter than usual with all kinds of thoughts swimming around his head, making the time go by quicker. He managed to find self-control after the cigarette he had when he had dropped the blonde off, and had abstained from smoking another until he got back to the Peletier home. Pulling into his place in the drive, Daryl quickly took notice to Sophia sitting on the step of their home looking lost in thought. She had perked up slightly when she saw his truck pull in, but she remained in her spot watching the older man park. 

“What’s up?” Daryl called out as he got out of the truck, pulling his phone out to text Beth that he was home like she asked, making his way toward the eighteen year old. “What you doin’ out here?”

“Mom’s on a date, and Carl’s inside.” Sophia shrugged, watching Daryl take a seat next to the young woman putting a smoke between his lips. 

“Why aren’ you inside with Carl?” Daryl asked lighting the smoke, Sophia looked down toward her shoes and started picking at a piece of mud that was on the canvas. 

“I don’ know honestly.” Sophia spoke bleakly, looking over her shoulder toward the house then back to Daryl. “Guess I needed some air.”

Daryl sat there watching the young woman carefully, feeling a sudden uncomfortable feeling rise in him when he knew what was initially meant to happen that night. Taking a long deep drag of his cigarette, the hunter shifted nervously in his seat avoiding looking at the young woman. The memory of Carl coming to him Christmas about sex, after being scared to go to anyone else, came back to Daryl, and he literally wanted to punch himself for the shitty advice he attempted to give the teenage boy. He wasn’t good at talking to people, and the teenage boy had taken the older man off guard by his request of advice. The hunter had every intention of pulling Carl aside and talk to him seriously, but the event didn’t arise until now. 

“Um, have you and Carl…” Daryl started coughing on the smoke of his cigarette, unable to finish the sentence. Turning to look at him in shock, Sophia’s face had blushed brightly under the porch light. 

“No, we haven’. To be honest, you really freaked Carl out somehow when he asked you for some advice Christmas.” Sophia managed to push a teasing smile toward the man she saw as her uncle. “Uncle Daryl, you’re not that great at sex advice.”

“Act like I don’ know this.” Daryl retorted nudging the girl’s shoulder, looking at his almost smoked cigarette before taking another long drag. The two entered a small silence, allowing the hunter time to think over how he was going to tell Sophia the news about Beth and the baby. “He said you two were ready.”

“We are… I think.” Sophia watched as he lit a second cigarette, pulling his phone that had just gone off. Watching a small smirk reach his face, the teenager watched him shut his phone off then to give his attention back to her. “I mean we love each other.”

“Doesn’ mean you’re ready.” The sound of the front door opening caused the two to look up to see Carl come out to join them. Watching the boy sit on the other side of Sophia, his face carried the question as to what they were talking about. This should have thrown Daryl off, but it didn’t. He wasn’t going to lose what he had to say, and it was better for them both to be there. “But you don’ have to be in love to be ready. I sure as hell wasn’ in love when I was thirteen, but didn’ mean I wasn’ ready.

“It’s important though, to have the right partner.” Daryl felt a strange spout of confidence, not sputtering or stammering before finding a quick exit. He started thinking about how it felt with the pregnant blonde, her text reply waiting for a response in his pocket, remembering how they were able to know what the other wanted without words. “It ain’t about jus’ your pleasure, but both of ya’s. Communication is important, and comfort. If it don’ feel good, then say it. It’s all about exploration, havin’ fun… and protecting yourself at the same time… What’s a blessin’ for me, may not be the same for you.”

Sophia and Carl only stared at Daryl, allowing his last words to sink in. Without another word, Daryl pulled out his last cigarette out to light; making a mental note to pick up patches instead of another pack later. He was gonna try and quit so he didn’ smell like stall tobacco around the baby. Casting a glance toward the teenage couple, Daryl couldn’t stop from laughing at Sophia’s face as it all started to click. 

“Uncle Daryl... did you jus’ tell me you got someone pregnant?” Sophia asked softly, looking toward Carl to see his face was also in a look of shock. A sudden gasp left the girl’s mouth as she twisted to look at Daryl. “Beth?!”

“Yeah, that’s why she wanted to see me tonight.” Daryl nodded as he watched in amusement their reactions to the news. He could only imagine what Carol’s face will be when he told her why he saw the blonde that night. 

“But… but you two haven’ talked since the cabin…” Carl responded, giving away that Sophia had told him about what happened between him and Beth. He let out a laugh suddenly, “From then?”

“Are you two gonna get back together?” Sophia asked, and Daryl stiffened before shaking his head. “No? Why not? I mean, seriously this is getting ridiculous, Uncle Daryl.”

“She doesn’ want to.” Daryl ran his free hand over the scruff of his face, before feeling a pair of arms around him. Sophia had hugged him without warning, taking him off guard. “Says there ain’ no us anymore. Jus’ a baby together.”

“I don’ believe her.” Sophia replied letting go of him to let him stand. “Do you believe her?”

“Ain’t ‘bout believin’ her or not. It ain’t about us anymore. We got somethin’ more important to take care of. All up to the future now.” Daryl patted the girl on the head. “I’m gonna head in. Tell your mom to come talk to me if you see her when she gets home.”

“A’right. Congratulations.” Sophia gave her uncle a warm accepting smile, earning one right back. 

 

****

 

“Bethany Greene.” The nurse called, nearly causing the two to jump out of their skin. Beth had jumped up when she managed to get a hold of herself, while the older man slowly stood to follow the blonde into the back of the doctor’s office. Daryl felt like a fish out of water in the clean office, when he felt something grab his hand causing him to look to see Beth taking his hand in reassurance for them both.

Having Beth get on the scale, the nurse weighed the young woman before directing them into a room. Handing the pregnant blonde a patients gown, the other woman shooed Daryl out of the room temporarily so the blonde could change and get situated on the examining table. He was allowed back in a few minutes later, finding the blonde laying on a special table, a blanket covering her lower half. Finishing up the blood work, and some extra information from both parents, the nurse announced the doctor would be in to visit with them shortly. 

“Ya comfortable?” Daryl asked nervously, moving closer to the blonde to fluff the pillow they had given her. Her blonde strands folded neatly into two braids over each shoulder, and Daryl couldn’t stop himself from touching one of the braids as he drew his hands away.

“Yea, I am, thank you.” Beth smiled softly, as she rested her head back with her eyes to the ceiling. She wasn’t as comfortable as she would have liked, completely clothed and not propped up the way she was, but she could feel the nervous vibes coming off the older man with his attempts to make sure she was comfortable. “Daryl, jus’ breath. It’s gonna be okay.”

“I know.” Daryl grumbled behind his thumb, and Beth couldn’t stop but smiling softly. There had been so much the two chose to push aside for the time being—with both being full aware they were going to be forced to deal with sooner than later—at least until after the first ultrasound was over with. “Jus’ didn’ think this was gonna ever happen.”

“Well, it’s happenin’, Dixon.” Beth couldn’t help but chuckle at his comment, but understood the meaning behind his comment. “May not be how it should’ve gone, but it’s happenin’.” The blonde reached for his hand, ignoring the tingle it caused when their skin touched. Pushing it against her stomach, Beth kept a soft smile on her lips. “We’re gonna see our baby for the first time.”

“We are.” Daryl smiled, running his hand lovingly over her stomach, his eyes watcher her eyes gaze at his own hand. “Beth…”

“Friends, Daryl…” The blonde responded, pulling his hand away from her stomach after a moment, her eyes now on him. “We agreed on that, remember.”

He remembered the conversation through text from a previous day that week, where she had suggested since they were getting along that they could try calling themselves friends. Daryl had no choice, but to agree with the woman; giving the blonde what she had wanted. He knew that even just feeling her stomach, despite the baby not being big enough to actually feel, was torture as much for her as it was for him. It burned him every time they even brushed against the other from the moment he had gotten her for the appointment; she had felt it as well since she would have to remind them both they were _’friends’._ To him, it felt she was doing it more to keep her mind off the growing need sweltering between them by reminding them both. 

“You ain’t gotta remind me.” Daryl growled as he rolled his eyes, before Beth shot him a look. He didn’t mean to sound as snappy as he did when he spoke, nothing gave him a reason to speak the way he had, but he didn’t need to be reminded every few minutes. “I know where we stand, jus’ don’ need to rub the salt in.”

“Sorry,” Beth rolled her eyes before looking over toward the hunter to find he was watching her carefully. Giving him a weak smile, the blonde’s blue eyes watched his every move as he did her. Changing the subject, Beth spoke once more, “What you gonna do after this?”

“Gonna see Ty and grab a beer at Hatlin’s. Might talk to him about getting my job back.” Daryl knew that her apology wasn’t a genuine one, his comment upsetting her clearly, letting her change the subject. 

“And try to take home another desperate woman too…” Beth murmured low enough that the hunter almost didn’t hear, but she had held his gaze as she spoke the words. Daryl could only stare at her, realizing she had been fishing for an argument suddenly. 

“What the fuck, Beth?” Daryl retorted as he shook his head, not realizing that just a simple request was starting to turn into a screaming match in the doctor’s. He wanted to be honest with her about Bridget, but now all it had done was bite him in the ass, and he didn’t even sleep with the woman; angering Beth instead of helping. It didn’t help that the blonde was pregnant, only making the bite even worse with her mood enhanced from hormones. “Why bring that up? I didn’ do fuckin’ shit with her… Last time I fucked someone, resulted in us in this fuckin’ room with a fuckin baby growin’ in you.

“Which is what tonight is fuckin’ about, Beth, to have a beer to celebrate with a friend and be able to have a way to help raise the kid.” His blue eyes flashed as he started to pace, the caged animal feeling no longer something he was able to avoid. He was pissed that she decided to throw that in his face like that, not wanting to admit he did start it when he had snapped at her. “Why in the fuck would you throw that in my god damn face? Is it ‘cause you’re pissed that _a piece of white trash_ knocked you up?”

Beth was silent, her face turning red, wishing she could get up from her place on the examining table to punch him in the face once more, giving him another cut on the face with her ring to match the faint scar of the first one. She was choosing her words wisely for her next shot, unable to believe the rest of their unresolved issues had to rise in the middle of a doctor’s appointment, since he had given her the ammo with his attempt to throw something into her face. 

“I ain’t pissed, no,” Beth shook her head, her voice was oddly calm. “’cause I learned what I get for being a _’privileged tramp’_ it seems, so why should I be—“

“Hello there!” The doctor opened the door and called out suddenly, her voice overly cheery for the conversation that was in the room. Looking down toward Beth’s chart nervously, the older doctor moved into the room causing the two to be unable to finish their growing argument; making them bottle up everything once more. “We meet again Ms. Greene, and it seems we have the father here too today. Oh, ain’t this gonna be fun.”

Forcing a nervous laugh, the woman was able to feel the tension in the room and immediately went into the appointment starting with any stress the blonde was experiencing. Daryl had moved toward the corner of the room to watch, still fuming inside, letting the doctor do what she needed. When the doctor turned to ask him several questions, answered them honestly before trying to make himself smaller and unnoticeable until it was time to see the baby. 

“Ready to see your baby?” The doctor asked as the two women turned their head toward Daryl, a wide smile on the blonde’s face as she held her hand out for him to take. The hunter’s heart leapt into his throat at the question as his eyes were suddenly glued to the small hand that was outreached for him. 

Making his way over toward them, Daryl took Beth’s outreached hand while the doctor got the machine set up to view the baby. The two couldn’t tear their gazes from each other during this moment, all the tension still boiling behind each blues providing a clear mutual agreement that their conversation wasn’t over yet, only to have their attention shifted suddenly toward the monitor at a new sound. Daryl’s mouth fell open, barely registering Beth squeezing his hand, his eyes never leaving the monitor screen. There it was. There was his baby; _their_ baby.

“Oh my God,” Beth whispered, her free hand moving up to cover her mouth in amazement. Tears were swelling in her eyes as she listened to her baby’s heartbeat, never wanting to tear her gaze away from the video of it. “That’s our baby…”

Daryl was speechless, unable to form words even if he had wanted to, watching as the image move around slightly. There was tears starting to form in his own eyes when he finally tore his gaze from the monitor to look at Beth. Her teary eyes still glues to the screen, the expression on her face was one he would never forget; her hand had lowered and a wide smile had formed. When she finally looked at him, the smile only grew wider with her eyes shining. There was no way for him to stop from falling in love with her more. 

“In about eight to nine weeks, we should be able to find out whether it’s a boy or girl. A September baby.” The doctor smiled as she turned off the machine, shutting off their view. Finishing up the appointment and scheduling for the next appointment, the two left the doctor’s office with a new feeling between the two. A different kind of excitement. 

Holding a picture of the ultrasound tight in his hands, the hunter couldn’t stop himself from staring at it causing him to nearly be knocked over by the blonde’s sudden hug. After steadying himself so that neither would fall, Daryl took a moment to register the sudden affectionate gesture before slipping his arms around her small waist; burying his face into her neck to breathe in the sweet scent of her skin. 

“What’s this for?” Daryl whispered into her ear, neither letting go anytime soon. It felt right to have her there in his arms, from the way his face buried perfectly into her neck to how she molded into him—like two halves to a whole. 

“I’m sorry for everythin’ I said and for snappin’ at ya.” There was sincerity in her voice, her body slowly pulling from his own. He was able to feel the reluctance coming from her as she slightly distanced their bodies; her small growing bump was nearly unnoticeable under her peasant top, but Daryl was able to feel it nearly touching his body. “I don’ want our issues and problems to get in the way of what’s good for our baby.”

“You ain’t the one who needs to apologize, I deserve everythin’ you have said and felt toward me. I need apologize to you. For callin’ you a privileged tramp, for walkin’ out on ya, for jus’ bein’ a total jackass.” Daryl’s smile nearly caused her heart to jump from her chest, and Beth had to put further distance between them; taking his hand instead of giving into the urge to kiss him. Both looking down toward the ultrasound picture, the blonde squeezed his hand sweetly.

_‘Our baby.’_ The words rang through Daryl’s mind, his eyes not on the picture he was holding. It gave him hope for the future, for their future. A part of him knew she was humoring him by keeping her concerns of him disappearing on her and the baby again, it hurt that she felt that way but it was not her fault it was like that. Pushing the growing pain in his heart, he didn’t allow it to dampen their good mood while he watched her smile only widen as she took the photo from him. Pressing his hand against the small of her back, Daryl led the blonde to his truck since she was unable to pull away from the photo; one of her hands pressing against her belly. 

“You wanna get somethin’ to eat?” Daryl asked as he opened the truck door to help her into the truck, despite her being perfectly capable to do on her own. When the blonde looked up from the picture, the look in her eyes only gave him more hope. It was a new day, it was a new beginning for the two. 

“Why it’s a good thing ya asked, we’re starvin’.” Beth giggled, and the older man knew that they were going to be okay.


End file.
